Parking Meter Fee Increase (2013, leasing, credit card)

[Thepreacherswife]

Most meters outside the loop will go from 25 cents an hour to $1 an hour. Unfreakinbelievable.

Most city parking meters to cost $1 an hour | Clout Street - local political coverage

[aragx6]

They used to only be a quarter an hour? When was the last time they raised them? that's ridiculously cheap. I paid way more for that in a college town.

[Avengerfire]

They used to be a quarter for two hours everywhere in the city a few years ago.

[via chicago]

Someone on the Trib board summed it up really well:

This leasing of public assets to private companies defies logic. Effectively, a parking meter is a tax for parking on a public road. What is the logic of turning that into a profit center for a private company? If it is reasonable for the rates at these meters to go up, why couldn't the City just increase the rates and keep the money?

Same thing goes for the lottery... if a private company can make it more profitable, then why couldn't the state just do the same thing? Again, the lottery is a tax - in the form of a game of chance - that was intended to fund public education... if the private company that leases the lottery makes a profit, isn't that just money they're taking away from public education?

And the same with selling our toll roads (which is even more bizarre, since toll roads are an essential element of infrastructure that most trade in our country relies on), the delivery or water, etc. etc. etc.

If you are outraged about paying a tax, why are you not outraged about paying a tax plus profit to a private company?!?!

Also, side note, but why can we not pay meters in increments. Most cities allow 15 minute, 1/2 hour options. If all I'm doing is running into a dry cleaner to pick up clothes, why do I have to plunk down for an hour?

Its one thing to jack prices in the Loop, which mainly consists of office workers and out of town tourists who expect to pay a lot. This is more than anything going to hurt small local businesses in neighborhoods.

[long101]

Originally Posted by via chicago

Someone on the Trib board summed it up really well:



Also, side note, but why can we not pay meters in increments. Most cities allow 15 minute, 1/2 hour options. If all I'm doing is running into a dry cleaner to pick up clothes, why do I have to plunk down for an hour?

Its one thing to jack prices in the Loop, which mainly consists of office workers and out of town tourists who expect to pay a lot. This is more than anything going to hurt small local businesses in neighborhoods.

agreed, Im sure this way they expect to get more fines from parking tickets since people arent going to pay a buck to run in an out of a store.

99% of the time I dont have $1 in change either. I think Ive heard of some talk about being able to phone in payment tho,

[ChiMack]

by 2013 it will be $6

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by ChiMack

by 2013 it will be $6

Thats what happens with all these leases...take a gander at the rate hikes in place for the Skyway. And I can guarantee you the same will happen to services at Midway once everything is said and done.

And I don't buy the BS that a private company is necessarily going to do a job better/more efficiently than the government can, especially when the leases are as long as these.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by ChiMack

by 2013 it will be $6

That's straight up madness.

I also didn't know you couldn't pay in increments -- that changes my whole view of things. How obnoxious.

[Thepreacherswife]

Originally Posted by ChiMack

by 2013 it will be $6

That's only for parking in the loop. Other spots would go up to $2 an hour.

The contracting out of parking meters will probably result in more of the "pay and display" machines that take credit/debit cards and coins other than quarters. While that raises the convenience factor, it also raise more money for the city since there's no "free" parking in those places due to someone leaving a space before their time is up. Plus the psychological difference between using a credit card vs. cash means that people are less likely to balk at paying more for parking if they can use a card to pay for it, so folks would be less likely to squawk if rates are increased.

I REALLY hope we don't get the Olympics.

On a related topic, has anybody heard of this in-car meter pilot program in the city? Intriguing idea, but looks like you're still stuck paying for a full hour every time you park.

[scarletneon]

so, basically, the parking meters will be "privatized," am I correct?

i just need to make sure whether i am correct or not because if i am, i can throw it at people when they start in on their "omg public transit should PRIVATIZED!!! wahhh wahhh wahhh!" rants.