No More Holidays for Parking Meters

New Year ushers in increased parking fees

Consider this your fair warning: Beginning at Midnight, there are no more parking meter holidays.

Remember that parking meter privatization plan that was approved earlier this month? It was widely publicized that the plan included a rate increase to park, but the move also abolished parking meter holidays.

That also means that that parkers will need to feed meters on Sundays at locations where they previously had not.

Previously, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day were meter holidays.

Most neighborhood rates will quadruple to $1 an hour sometime in 2009 and reach $2 by 2013. Loop meters will rise 50 cents to $3.50 next month and top out at $6.50 in 2013. [Read More...]

According to the Chicago Department of Transportation Web site, hours of operation and rate information should should be listed on each individual parking meter. If it is not, or you would like additional information, please call 312-744-4500.

Parking enforcement is also expected to get tougher. Not only will the partnership that includes Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and LAZ Parking have the right to issue parking tickets to "supplement" the city's efforts, but the so-called "broken meter" defense will be more narrow.

It can only be used by motorists who report the meters "inoperable or malfunctioning within 24 hours" of the incident.

Those who wish to avoid the expense of parking by taking the CTA will also be shelling out more cash. [Read More...]

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