Thursday, December 30, 2010

Parking Meter Rates Set to Go Up on Saturday

The controversial city parking meters are in the news again and we imagine most people aren't happy to hear about this. The blog, Expired Meter, sent us an email and posted on the subject recently:
It’s almost that time of the year again.

No, not Christmas or New Year’s, but parking meter rate increase season.

It was three years ago this month when Mayor Daley and his cohorts in the city council pushed through the Chicago parking meter lease deal. One of the more onerous results of the 75-year deal was an initial five years of steep meter rate price
increases.

On January 1st, parking meter rates will rise for the third of the five initial years.
Downtown, meter rates will jump $0.75 from $4.25 per hour to $5.00 an hour–giving Chicago the distinction of having the highest downtown parking meter rates in the nation.

We think that most of the South Loop's meters aren't in the 'downtown' section, so instead of a $0.75 increase it will be a $0.50 (from $2.50 to $3.00). If this isn't the case please speak up because we did some digging but couldn't find much consistent information.

(Hat Tip: TR!)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The parking meter website might help - they have a map to show where all the payboxes are located:
http://www.chicagometers.com/

Anonymous said...

this is getting out of control. how can we be heard????

Anonymous said...

I live in Printers Row (please, let's NOT debate whether PR is in the SL AGAIN), and it will be going up to $5 hour. Maybe a mayoral candidate could take up the issue as a campaign agenda.

Unknown said...

It should be roughly as expensive to park on the street as it is in a nearby garage.

Anonymous said...

get over it people! Free parking is so 90's... if you don't like to pay, don't drive or leave your car parked south of Cermack...