Chicago Booting Goes 24/6

A heads up to those of you parking law scofflaws out there with the fortuitous work schedule that allows you to not be parked on Chicago streets during the prime Denver booting hours of 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. -- your luck has just run out.

Parking Ticket Geek points out that you'll no longer be able to go to sleep at night with the comfort of knowing your car will be available to drive to work in the morning. Without much fanfare, the city's Department of Revenue added a third shift to the boot patrol last week, and 10 new crews are prowling the streets between the hours of 9:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday, scanning for cars eligible to have their front wheel encased in yellow steel.

PTG estimates that this additional window of enforcement could mean an increase of booted cars upwards of 100,000 next year -- significantly up from the approximately 65,000 cars estimated to be immobilized in 2009. Not surprising, given that the two places that previously implemented 24 hour immobilization -- O'Hare and Midway airports -- have the highest number of boots installed out of any area in the city. And while booting hours have been extended, payment and releasing hours haven't, so if you find your car immobilized at night you're going to be SOL until the next morning. But hey, don't complain -- the Mayor has to balance his budget somehow. [via Beachwood Reporter]