Here's to hoping they knock off 200 more of 'em. (Chicago: real estate, condo)

[Muppet123]

I have a upass I take public trans for free

[grapico]

Originally Posted by Muppet123

I have a upass I take public trans for free

I'm pretty sure you, or taxpayers pay for that in the form of higher tuition.

[SJaye]

1. The City no longer owns the parking meters. They were sold in 2008..

Clout St: Aldermen approve Chicago parking meter lease

2. University sponsored transit passes are usually paid for by a combination of University money (tuition/ donations) and city subsidies (similar to the ones for seniors, disabled, etc. money comes primarily from sales tax). So, you are paying for the ride through tuition and sales tax, but not as much as everybody else who pays full price (and sales tax) pays.

[grapico]

Originally Posted by SJaye

1. The City no longer owns the parking meters. They were sold in 2008..

Clout St: Aldermen approve Chicago parking meter lease

2. University sponsored transit passes are usually paid for by a combination of University money (tuition/ donations) and city subsidies (similar to the ones for seniors, disabled, etc. money comes primarily from sales tax). So, you are paying for the ride through tuition and sales tax, but not as much as everybody else who pays full price (and sales tax) pays.

Hrrm... I wonder though if some Universities in the systems students use it less than others. The way I understand it is they all benefit as a whole... But some schools might see more of a benefit if their students ride it say on average, 4x per week back and forth, approximately 17.00 . Where as another campus has students who only ride it 2x per week, approximately 9.00. I am sure some people are paying more in tuition than they are receiving in rides.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by SJaye

1. The City no longer owns the parking meters. They were sold in 2008..

Well, look at it this way: If a meter is stolen, it cannot be out there doing its job controlling parking and making revenue for the city. Plus, whatever revenue it contained is taken by some misguided miscreant.

Folks want to applaud this?

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Manigault

...Folks want to applaud this?

What better way can people fight back against the tyranny of the city leaders?

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Manigault

Well, look at it this way: If a meter is stolen, it cannot be out there doing its job controlling parking and making revenue for the city. Plus, whatever revenue it contained is taken by some misguided miscreant.

Folks want to applaud this?

In this particular case... you're damn right I do, because they don't generate revenue for the city anymore*, and they don't "control" parking; at least in my neighborhood they have absolutely annihilated parking volume in the business district. Drive down Irving Park Road from the river to the expressway during normal business hours and you'll find about 80-90% of the metered spaces vacant, when a year ago they were filled from end to end. And I doubt the difference is being made up by foot traffic and public transportation traffic. Part of the problem that nobody seems to have talked about is there are now two competing purposes for the meters and what rates they are set at: maintaining parking turnover for local businesses and their patrons without discouraging people from coming altogether, and maximizing revenue for the company that took them over. And if those purposes are at odds with one another, guess which one wins? (Hint: not the local businesses.)

So you better believe it doesn't break my heart to know that a few people got a parking holiday for a couple of days and the bloody thieves running the parking racket missed out on a few bucks. I normally don't care for vandalism or other criminal acts as a means of civil disobedience, but I can make an exception when the city puts the issue out of the hands of the political process for generations to come. I hope every single one of these damned machines gets knocked over again and again and again until CPM throws their hands in the air and says "fk it, it's not worth it" and abandons the lease. Likely scenario? Nope. But one can hold out hope anyway.

*(Unless you mean in the form of tickets, but the fact that the city banks on tickets as a significant form of revenue is deplorable so I won't cry that they lost the opportunity to write tickets for a couple days either.)

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

What better way can people fight back against the tyranny of the city leaders?

Run for office.

[coldwine]

I'm still dumbfounded by the 2008 decision to sell the meters.

I know realize exactly what that word means, too; some action so dumb has you floundering for words. At last it is clear.

I would love to know what the aldermen hoped to achieve.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Manigault

Run for office.

Front me a million.