If you plan to shop or go out to eat in the city over the weekend, watch where you park.
The city of Chicago is cracking down on illegal parking in a push that has already led to an additional 4,500 tickets being written so far in the first few weekends of 2017.
Tickets are being written by a team of 20 parking enforcement aids who have been reassigned to the weekend shifts, according to city officials. The aids are now teaming up with private contractors who previously worked alone on weekends to monitor violations across the city.
The extra weekend enforcement will be focusing on areas where it is “most needed,” a city spokesperson said. That includes downtown and in neighborhoods such as River North and Wicker Park near shops and restaurants where nightlife is bustling.
So what kind of tickets are they writing? Parking in a no-parking zone in the Central Business District will set you back $60. An expired meter is a $65 fine, and you’ll get a $150 for parking in a bicycle path or alley.
A spokesperson for the City’s finance department told NBC 5 the additional enforcement is not about boosting revenue, but instead ensuring turnover of the parking spots for area business.
