Traffic ,Transporation and the Parking Nazis (Chicago: rent, live, buses)

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Wicked_Whispers

Hey ya'll,
So I am thoroughly frustrated by traffic congestion in the city of chicago..I concede it is considered to be a part of daily urban living today..

What frustrates me the most is the city of chicago is unable to do anything to provide a better public transport system. Unless you happenn to live / work along the El or Metra lines, commuting is horrendous. Further, the way the system is designed, travel times are very long. Consequently people prefer to drive and the roads cannot handle the ever increasing no. of vehicles.

However, what the city is excellently efficient at doing is towing cars, handing out all kinds of traffic tickets and generating revenue .

I live in wicker park and all the streets around me are zoned, which means I can only park on the street where I live, and its impossible to find parking. Everytime i park anywhere else overnight (bigger sts with meters like Milwaukee , North etc.) my car gets towed. If anyone has been to the auto pounds ...i am sure you will agree that its a slow and dirty experience.

This city does not deserve the olympics with an attitude like this.

Thoughts, opinions ?

Well in many places Milwaukee is a Snow Zone . Thats why you get towed there. In many places on North there is no Rush Hour parking. Maybe those are reasons you get towed.

Does your street have zoned parking? If not, maybe you should start the petition for it with the people on your block.

Yeah, parking sucks around there.

Maybe you should ditch your car.

I have no idea why so many people own cars if they dont have garages in that area. Public transporation around your area is pretty abundant.

[scarletneon]

Originally Posted by ahava

What are you going to do if the CTA "doomsday" becomes reality?

as for me, all i have to do to get to work is take a different bus while sandwiched like sardines on the red line if this actually does go through. i live right on the train line, and that was an important factor when I decided to move here, because i flat out, end of story, CAN NOT afford a car, nor do I want one.


now, i really could go on a big long rant about public transit and why it's not as good as it should be, and how some people could have a bus stop directly in front of their door and they STILL would insist on driving their cars everywhere...but I'm too sick to do so.

i'll just leave you all with a paragraph from this book I'm reading about urban transportation policy:
Chicago's experience in improving urban transit is related directly to lack of major funding. Although certain controversy over choice of sites and routes are bound to occur in any major project development, the task of knowing what to do is reasonably obvious. The recent history has been one of trying to hold an old and aging system together, to maintain the viability of transit usage generally while keeping preliminary design work current until construction funds become available.


.... this book was written in 1976, guys.

it also documents shouting matches between legislators and all sorts of even more fun ignorant things as it pertains to car dependence. 31 years ago. And we all know it's gotten nothing but worse.

[tjay]

i agree that parking here sucks. i can't wait to move and never have to walk 4 blocks to my apartment again. seems like lots of people park on the streets around my apartment and then walk over the the El. so the people who actually live here have no place to park. i also see alot of cars that just sit in the same spots day after day. i got a parking ticket and don't plan on paying it or ever driving to chicago again. i'm moving in 2 days so they can kiss my ass

[j33]

tjay - you know, a lot of people who have cars don't drive them every day. Back when I had a car, you would probably have seen it sit unused in the same spot for up to a week because I only drove it about once a week to go to the grocery store.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by tjay

i agree that parking here sucks. i can't wait to move and never have to walk 4 blocks to my apartment again. seems like lots of people park on the streets around my apartment and then walk over the the El. so the people who actually live here have no place to park. i also see alot of cars that just sit in the same spots day after day. i got a parking ticket and don't plan on paying it or ever driving to chicago again. i'm moving in 2 days so they can kiss my ass

As much as I sypathize with you,the city can now take you to court and put the amount you owe on your credit records if you do not pay it after a certain amount of time. I think they can get a judgement against you even if you dont show up to court or send a lawyer.

[Lookout Kid]

tjay, they will find you... Unless you leave the country forever.

[j33]

Yeah, pay up, i know someone who got threatening letters after they moved to California. They ended up just paying the money.

[Wicked_Whispers]

Does your street have zoned parking? If not, maybe you should start the petition for it with the people on your block.

That has to be the best idea. I am going to try and get that done. If you or anyone has any idea on the formal process to do that (if any) please let me know.

well, I'd prefer to take a helicopter to all my destinations, but that doesn't mean that the city is responsible for providing me a heliport a the Jewel

My point is that my job takes me to suburbs which are not public transportaion accessible OR would involve something like - taking the blue line into the city - then switching to the red line - then taking a bus etc...
However having said that.. Supernerdgirl has shed light on the design of the system in her post.

I have been looking to rent a parking spot too..

As for the Olympics - parking was just an example of a city that does not seem to be gung ho about improving its infrastructure .

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Wicked_Whispers

That has to be the best idea. I am going to try and get that done. If you or anyone has any idea on the formal process to do that (if any) please let me know.



My point is that my job takes me to suburbs which are not public transportaion accessible OR would involve something like - taking the blue line into the city - then switching to the red line - then taking a bus etc...
However having said that.. Supernerdgirl has shed light on the design of the system in her post.

I have been looking to rent a parking spot too..

As for the Olympics - parking was just an example of a city that does not seem to be gung ho about improving its infrastructure .

Info on permit parking:
City Clerk of Chicago - Available Services

Info for the petition:
I cant find the web page right now.When I find it, I will link it. Maybe you can find it before I can. Call your Alderman,since I am not sure if you live in the 1st Ward or not.I am fairly sure you can get the petion from form his or her office also. I cant tell you who it is.

You might not even need permit parking on your street. I think the city will allow you to buy the sticker if you live close enough to the area that is zoned.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by via chicago

This is no different than life in any other big city. Parking is a hot commodity. What would you have the city do? Theres a finite number of spaces, and a virtually infinite amount of cars. Which is why good public transit is essential in dense urban cores, and it needs to be funded properly.

Bravo. There will never be such a thing as "enough parking" in any successful urban neighborhood. Anyplace with enough room for all the cars (e.g., the suburbs) will be too spread out to have enough people to make it an interesting, successful *city* neighborhood. After all, one car needs as much street space as 58 pedestrians.

If commuter parking is a problem in your area, talk to your alderman. They can find ways (meters, zones) to get those people onto the buses, where they belong.

I know several locals who work in the western suburbs (Oak Park, Elmhurst, Downers Grove) who commute by transit. They obviously have a higher tolerance for commuting than I do, but it can be done.

The Olympics are being used as yet another cynical excuse to underfund infrastructure today. "Don't worry! We'll get a GIANT windfall tomorrow!" Yeah, and what's Plan B? Mining Lake Michigan shipwrecks for doubloons?