Maybe, just maybe, people are starting to wake up..........

Time to dust this one off ;)

If only there were some method of transportation which didn't require drivers to park.

7of7: If only there were some method of transportation which didn't require drivers to park.

Or even to drive. What a concept!

In exchange for a 75-year lease, the city got $1.2 billion to help plug its budget holes.

Modern government policy at the federal, state, and local level: do whatever it takes to get cash now and who cares about the long term consequences?

Yeah, that's like sending the officers out to write more tickets. Once the citizens wise up and start scrupulously obeying the laws, then what?

Force them to show up in person to register their cars monthly.

Glasgowsfinest: Or even to drive. What a concept!

But it has to be one that costs the same or less to use, and takes about the same amount of time so that takes quite a few methods out of the equation.

ZAZ: In exchange for a 75-year lease, the city got $1.2 billion to help plug its budget holes.

Modern government policy at the federal, state, and local level: do whatever it takes to get cash solve your immediate problem now and who cares about the long term consequences?

Applies to more than budget allocation. Hiring, re-orging departments, policy changes... everything.

Crosshair: But it has to be one that costs the same or less to use, and takes about the same amount of time so that takes quite a few methods out of the equation.

Not really. Given how much time people spend finding parking and how much money they waste on cars anything more than walking should fit those criteria.

Crosshair: But it has to be one that costs the same or less to use, and takes about the same amount of time so that takes quite a few methods out of the equation.

My bike fits both those criteria.

KIA: Yeah, that's like sending the officers out to write more tickets. Once the citizens wise up and start scrupulously obeying the laws, then what?

Create new laws. Duh.

Glasgowsfinest: My bike fits both those criteria.

My post was a subtle bash against wasteful mass transit. I use my bike too in the summer.

next up - businesses migrating out of the city in search of a less hostile location to their interests.

Who can ever find street parking with or without a meter? The people making the fat cash are the parking lot operators. That business is pure gold...

/works in the loop
//drives twice a year at most

7of7: If only there were some method of transportation which didn't require drivers to park.

I take Chicago transit frequently, but there are also places I go that I can drive to in 10 minutes, but would take an hour to get to by transit.

Legislators enact but one law: The law of unintended consequences.

This new parking scheme, like parking in Chicago wasn't already a complicated rip off, is the last straw. Next time we head there (do so frequently) we won't bring the car unless we have a free or cheap place to leave it the entire time. Otherwise the car is staying home and we will take the train in.

We paid around $20 just to park the car and take the kids to do the Sears tower tour. This was before the new parking scam.

7of7: If only there were some method of transportation which didn't require drivers to park.

Welcome to the read world. People like to drive. Hitting drivers in the wallet is not a wise thing to do.

But they privatized! Surely, it's IMPOSSIBLE for a private company to do something worse than the way the government was doing it! Isn't privatization and getting the government out of such things supposed to make things better!

/Well, *OBVIOUSLY*, the free market just wasn't applied correctly in this instance...

Had his own way of protesting...

Wait. You mean raising taxes doesn't actually increase revenue? You're saying that people will find a way around those taxes, even if it involves drastically changing their lives? Naw. That can't be right.

Frank N Stein: 7of7: If only there were some method of transportation which didn't require drivers to park.

Welcome to the read world. People like to drive. Hitting drivers in the wallet is not a wise thing to do.

nope, they'll just drive somewhere else.

Expect a driveway parking tax in the near future.. that is if they don't just put a parking meter there.

RickyBRicky: Who can ever find street parking with or without a meter? The people making the fat cash are the parking lot operators. That business is pure gold...

/works in the loop
//drives twice a year at most

Outside of the Loop, Near North Side, and next to Wrigley it can often be done with relative ease.

We took all the milk and apples because we needed them to lead you better. We don't even like them, but we suffer them for you. We love you.

SpinStopper: Time to dust this one off ;)

Without a doubt, that's my favorite cunning plan pic.

Helios1182: Outside of the Loop, Near North Side, and next to Wrigley it can often be done with relative ease.

Last weekend, it took me 20 minutes to find a parking spot on the North Side :(

Glasgowsfinest: Crosshair: But it has to be one that costs the same or less to use, and takes about the same amount of time so that takes quite a few methods out of the equation.

My bike fits both those criteria.

Have fun riding a bike in January in Chicago. You'll thaw out sometime around May.

Do What Now Question Mark: Wait. You mean raising taxes doesn't actually increase revenue? You're saying that people will find a way around those taxes, even if it involves drastically changing their lives? Naw. That can't be right.

Wait, you mean you're a moron who DNRTFA and comes in here to decry the EVIL GOVERNMENT AND EVIL EVIL TAXES when, in reality, this is the result of privatization?
Naw. That can't be right.

Hmm... $7/hr... Seems pricey for street parking. And if there was no electronic payment available, no way I'd be parking there. Don't need 20lbs of change in my coat when I go out.

Oh, and they're sharpening their pitchforks because they aren't allowed to own guns...

The city of Glendale, CA did this too. It used to be you could park for free on Brand Blvd up to 9 AM, then after it was a two hour limit but still free. They decided right before x-mas to change this, screwing everybody who works or shops on Brand. Then the parking structures got in on it too and started charging $1/half hour parking. I work at the Borders there and am having to park in the mall's parking structure as it's the only free parking left in Glendale!!! I guess the city didn't take into consideration those that work and don't have the luxury of having their employer pick up the parking tab. Bastards!!! I hate you!!!

Felgraf: But they privatized! Surely, it's IMPOSSIBLE for a private company to do something worse than the way the government was doing it! Isn't privatization and getting the government out of such things supposed to make things better!

/Well, *OBVIOUSLY*, the free market just wasn't applied correctly in this instance...

Not sure if you were being sarcastic, but for those who don't get it, granting a monopoly (in the form of a 75-year lease) to one company is as far from "free market" as you can get.

I will be working in dowtown Houston this summer and have to drive every day. I hear from people who scouted my place of work for me that it takes almost 30min to find parking and even then you have to walk a good 10min. Hopefully Houston does'nt get any pages from Chicago's playbook.

/I am not looking forward to this

Steve Goodman is, sadly, unavailable for comment.

LonMead: Had his own way of protesting...

I'M SHAKING IT HERE BOSS!!!

Not sure if you were being sarcastic, but for those who don't get it, granting a monopoly (in the form of a 75-year lease) to one company is as far from "free market" as you can get.

How would you integrate the free market into parking meters?

Auction off the individual meters or lots of meters to private companies? I guess that might work, as long as a company doesn't have all of the meters in one particular area, otherwise that'd be a de facto monopoly, anyway.

pierceive: Felgraf: But they privatized! Surely, it's IMPOSSIBLE for a private company to do something worse than the way the government was doing it! Isn't privatization and getting the government out of such things supposed to make things better!

/Well, *OBVIOUSLY*, the free market just wasn't applied correctly in this instance...

Not sure if you were being sarcastic, but for those who don't get it, granting a monopoly (in the form of a 75-year lease) to one company is as far from "free market" as you can get.

You're not sure if that was sarcastic? Do you know what sarcasm is?

pierceive: Felgraf: But they privatized! Surely, it's IMPOSSIBLE for a private company to do something worse than the way the government was doing it! Isn't privatization and getting the government out of such things supposed to make things better!

/Well, *OBVIOUSLY*, the free market just wasn't applied correctly in this instance...

Not sure if you were being sarcastic, but for those who don't get it, granting a monopoly (in the form of a 75-year lease) to one company is as far from "free market" as you can get.

facts just confuse trolls.

So does this contract give the private company a right to collect a minimum amount of parking fees per a meter or per a year or else the city has to pay compensation?

Governments see citizens as sheep to be sheared for their own enrichment. However, if they shear too closely and too often, the sheep will eventually revolt.

"The power to tax is the power to destroy." - Thomas Jefferson

Do What Now Question Mark: Wait. You mean raising taxes doesn't actually increase revenue? You're saying that people will find a way around those taxes, even if it involves drastically changing their lives? Naw. That can't be right.

Your argument makes no sense in terms of income taxes.

FAIL

Sadly, $7 for 2 hours still sounds like a good deal, considering I paid $24 on a Satuday night not too long ago (that was maybe 4 hours). Chicago Loop parking is ridiculous.

I try not to drive down there, if I can help it.

I lived in Chi-town from 2001-2004, and then moved to Colorado. The City of Chicago has hired a law firm to track me down for 1 parking ticket I never paid in 2003. They are threating to garnish my wages and ruin my life yada yada yada.

/Still not going to pay it.

pierceive: Felgraf: But they privatized! Surely, it's IMPOSSIBLE for a private company to do something worse than the way the government was doing it! Isn't privatization and getting the government out of such things supposed to make things better!

/Well, *OBVIOUSLY*, the free market just wasn't applied correctly in this instance...

Not sure if you were being sarcastic, but for those who don't get it, granting a monopoly (in the form of a 75-year lease) to one company is as far from "free market" as you can get.

I was being sarcastic, yes. And as someone else said, how the *hell* would you apply 'free market' to parking meters? If the bidding for the contract was open to all comers, that'd be pretty close, would it not?

And no, Weaver95, I was not trolling. I was being sarcastic, which is slightly different. The word Troll gets thrown around too much by both sides these days. I was pointing out that here is a cause where privatization has caused a service to *worsen*, not improve.

My hometown took out all the parking meters a few years ago. It keeps the downtown from totally dying. Who the hell wants to live in a big city, and what kind of business doesn't relocate? There is nothing that can't be done cheaper in the middle of nowhere now.

memphomaniac: Governments see citizens as sheep to be sheared for their own enrichment. However, if they shear too closely and too often, the sheep will eventually revolt.

"The power to tax is the power to destroy." - Thomas Jefferson

About time they revolted. Chicago needs to be brought down to her knees and start demanding change.

Then again, she already is, now she needs to change. The first step: get rid of Daley, Stroger, and Quinn. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

It makes sense for a city such as Chicago to try to discourage driving/parking downtown, since they do have one of the better public transit systems in N America.

Where it is really screwy is when you have a town too small to support a decent transit system, and the yee-haw local politicians decide to install parking meters to get more revenue.

I've see what happens first hand. I live in a town of ~50,000; the downtown is "meter-free", because every time the local yokels float the paid parking proposal, it get shot down by the Downtown Business Association. Result: the downtown is thriving, even with a big-ass Wallmart Supercenter a couple of miles away.

The brain-dead council in a neighboring town of similar size decided to go the parking meter route to get some extra cash. The town center there is now full of boarded-up businesses.

Some people are just so stupid.

Chicago will lose a load of stores soon. Its cheaper to pay for the gas to drive to the burbs to shop & taxes are lower also.

When the jobs go to the burbs, people will move towards the burbs for cheaper housing/renting & to be closer to work.

Is Chicago the next Detroit without the race riots? A sad thought, but maybe bumping up charges too quickly is a very piss poor idea.