Results tagged “parkingmeters”

We pondered the new Chicago section of the NY Times and even reminded you yesterday and...now it's here. I actually picked up a copy this morning but haven't had time to read it yet. However, lucky for me (and all of you, right?) you can also access the content online here. Besides the CNC's NY Times content, the site also features Chicago-centric headlines from other sources as well as links to other helpful Chicago sites (including us!). Of course, if you're reading this then you probably already know that stuff.

As property taxes in the city are set to skyrocket, Mayor Daley, still reeling from the parking meter debacle, the loss of the 2016 Summer Olympics and an all-time low popularity rating is playing the blame game. After claiming that he'll hold the line on taxes with next year's budget, he's pointing fingers now that property tax bills are set to soar, even while property values have plummeted. Going after Cook County Assessor James Houlihan, Daley proclaimed his ignorance of how property taxes are assessed. "The thing I can't understand (is) this whole assessment deal," the mayor said. "Now, no one's value is going up in the city. ... I'm asking him how he does it." (Our own Chuck Sudo explained how they work in the comments of this post.)

Now that Mayor Daley is firmly back on Chicago soil, he's staring down not only a dangerously low popularity rating, but also a city that's on the verge of economic disaster. Impending budget holes, (yet another) CTA Doomsday scenario, unemployment and of course the on going parking meter fiasco. Before any of these crisis, individually or in total, do him in, Mayor Daley is trying his darnedest to to some serious spin. He's already insisted he won't raise property taxes to close the budget gap, likely taking reserve funds to help him do that.

Just when you thought it was safe to park, they're back. After being pulled off-duty back in the spring, it seems as if the parking enforcement crew of LAZ Parking are ready to take over patrolling duties of the city's parking meters. According to the Parking Ticket Geek, sources say all that's left is the official thumbs up from City Hall, a.k.a Mayor Daley who's a bit busy this week, but that the new enforcement push could begin as early as the beginning of October.

The accolades keep rolling in. Not only are we Forbes' most stressful American city, but now the National Motorists Association have named Chicago as the worst city to drive through on Labor Day weekend. We...don't have much to argue with there. Seems like there are other cities that probably give us a run for the money (L.A., Atlanta) but the NMA has two specific reasons they outline: shady red light cameras and the parking meter fiasco.

The Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization will file suit against the City of Chicago today, alleging that the deal inked with Morgan Stanley to lease the city's parking meters for the next 75 years is illegal. According to a press release the organization will make copies of the suit public at a 10:30 a.m. press conference. The organization is working with Clint Krislov, of Krislov & Associates, Ltd.

It's been a while since we've read a good, old fashioned anti-government manifesto. Luckily for us, reader Katie Scully was kind enough to share these pics, displaying a lengthy anti-Daley/Parking Meter/Taxes/2016 Olympics manifesto posted earlier this month in the front window of String A Strand in Lincoln Square. At first, we were going to have a little fun, but then we realized the rant could easily double for anything either we or our pals over at the Reader have written in the last six months.

One last, self-indulgent note before we bow out for the day. Chicagoist went live on May 10, 2004 featuring a design you can see above (via the Wayback Machine). Since then, we've had ups and downs but it's been one hell of a ride. Five years is an eternity in internet time, so thanks to Jen, Jake and all our benefactors in NYC, thanks to Rachelle and Margaret for getting the ball rolling here, thanks to every single writer who has posted - past and present - for your hard work, and last but most importantly, thanks to all of you readers who keep coming back every day. We hope to see you tomorrow night at our celebration, and we'll see you back here next week as we start the next five years. - M.G.

The recent privatization of the city's parking meters has proven to be one big mess and LAZ Parking, the firm now in charge of the meters, admits that it wasn't prepared. In a report filed by the Tribune, a temporary employee who worked for LAZ said, "The city has three types of meters. We had plenty of devices to reprogram two kinds of meters, but not nearly enough for the last type. As a result, the new stickers being put on the meters did not match what many of the meters were charging." The company used security guards and temporary employees to make the transition. Another hang-up, according to the Trib's source? Batteries.

This week in the Chicagoist Podcast Series, we continue to welcome the slow rollout of spring. It's taking its sweet-assed time, and it'll be summer in just a couple weeks, but for right now, let's close our eyes and pretend that it's a constant 67 degrees with sun, shall we?

We’ve seen plenty of arrest-worthy parking meter shenanigans over the past couple of weeks: graffiti, vandalism, filling meters with pennies, gluing quarters into meter slots and more. The rage of Chicago residents over the increased parking fees seems to be growing steadily, and we expected to see stories about an upsurge in arrests and tickets as the city and the police retaliate. What we didn’t expect: threats of arrest for… paying parking meters.

Since citydwellers have been collectively exercising their civic rebellion muscles this week* in terms of the ongoing parking meter revolt, we at the Flashback desk figured it could be illuminating to go back and see where this whole thing started. Not just with the sale of the city's parking meters to LAZ, no sir - we're setting the Wayback Machine for 1936, when the argument was raging about whether or not to install the things in the first place.

Through Wednesday, we're counting down the top 8 local stories that captivated us in 2008.

Ald. Tom Allen (38) is on our good side (for now) after voicing what we (and you) have been complaining about for a while: that Mayor Daley's new plowing policy is a clusterfuck. Echoing comments that have been bouncing around these parts for a week, Allen said:

The new snow program is 'do nothing.' Irving Park Road was ice-packed. Traffic was crawling after a two- or three-inch snowfall. Cars near schools just slide through intersections, putting every kid who tries to cross the street in peril...I'm getting pounded by my constituents. We don't live in Honolulu. We live in Chicago. We've lost our compass. We have to provide the most fundamental city service. Are we gonna ride from December through March with people's lives in peril trying to cross the street?

A-freaking-men. Even better? Allen's solution: he's asked MayDay to set aside $1 million from the city's deals to privatize Midway and the city's parking meters to pay for the whole thing. We couldn't think of a better plan. After all, it's not like that city debt is really ever going to get paid off, so we might as well use some of that money to, you know, keep the city functional. We're just sayin'...

Oh, Mayor Daley, when will you cease to provide us with so much entertainment? If only it didn't enrage us so much. A day after the City Council passed Mayor Daley's proposed sale of parking meters to a private company, the Mayor defended the decision, claiming there are "very few (meters) in the neighborhoods. It's about 80 percent downtown-80, 85 percent downtown in 2 or 3 wards. It's not in the communities." Uh, we don't think that's right. And the Trib confirms our suspicion: "In fact, of the city's 34,264 metered spots, about 8,100 are in the 42nd and 2nd Wards that cover downtown. That's only about one-fourth of them, not the four-fifths Daley claimed." Fail. Still, parking rates will skyrocket whether or not the Mayor can count.

Earlier this week, we discussed the insane new parking meter rates that would go into effect if the City Council passed legislation allowing Mayor Daley to lease the meters to a private company. Well, they passed it by a vote of 40-5. Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) opposed the measure, claiming she didn't have enough time to review it, prompting this amazing (and classic) response from Ald. Richard Mell (33rd):

How many of us read the stuff we do get, OK? I try to. I try to. I try to. But being realistic, being realistic, it's like getting your insurance policy -- it's small print, OK?

Yes, Dick, it's just like an insurance policy. Why would you need to read the entire thing? We will give him this, though: at least he's being honest. The bill also had opposition from Ald. Billy Ocasio (26th) who seems to still have something of a connect with reality, saying, "I'm sorry, but there are too many people in our city living paycheck to paycheck." Another tidbit about the new bill? Free Sundays and holidays are now a thing of the past and some meters will even require 24-hour payment. So explain to us again how the City can afford 2,000 new SUVs?