Parking Meter Problems

A completely preventable and foreseeable disaster:

• Chicago's abrupt transfer of parking meters to a private company has drivers and business owners angry about erroneous overcharges and confusing enforcement rules.
  
  The problems come on top of a fourfold increase in rates at meters this year that has sent motorists searching for quarters in seat cushions and merchants complaining that the new on-street parking regulations have hurt their business.

Gee. Business revenue down. That means less tax revenue. That means bigger holes in the City budget. Brilliant fucking thinking at work here. And the problems?

• Outdated fee and violation-enforcement information still posted on many meters since the city switched from six parking zones to three.
• Meters that, regardless of what the stickers indicate, charge the wrong hourly rates for the zone in which they are located, increasing the chance of vehicles being ticketed. For example, in the 1800 block of North Clybourn Avenue, an area where 25 cents is supposed to buy 15 minutes of parking time, meter No. 279089 provides only seven minutes for a quarter. A black marker was used to cover up the "15" on the meter's rate sticker with "7."
• A surge in broken meters, many overstuffed with coins.
• Stepped-up writing of tickets for parking-meter violations.

And does anyone actually carry around this much change?

• The increase in parking-meter rates this year means that it takes eight quarters to park for two hours in city neighborhoods, 28 quarters to park for two hours in the Loop and 16 quarters in the central business district.

We see a lot less traveling to our favorite restaurants, watering holes and other locations around the city. Hello suburbs with free parking!