The cash-strapped City of Chicago is turning to an Oakland, California-style way of raising money for its coffers: parking meter rates around Chicago go up 75 cents to $4.25 per hour to park in downtown Chicago in 2010. According to the Chicago Tribune, residents are not happy.
Melody Fillier, a a pharmaceutical salesperson, told the Chicago Tribune "I think it's really expensive. It just blows me away."
Parking rates have quadrupled in some areas of Chicago. And before the meter rate change, the old meters broke down; more tickets were written as people stuffed coins in broken meters.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has drawn fire for a parking meter lease deal that has given the City a cash windfall but led to the increased meter rates. But the parking deal was defended as giving money to a Chicago that needed it. But the result is a parking fee cost that threatens to drive away residents from using stores in downtown Chicago and harm Chicago's poorest citizens.
Still, the Chicago approach is not anywhere near the level of harm that Oakland's exacts on its citizens. Oakland has not only high parking meter rates, but aggressive ticketing and towing policies.
Plus, Oakland's consideration of a new parking study reveals a concern for parking as a revenue generator, but no mention of the fact that it's a regressive tax on the poor. That is shown in this Oakland City Council Staff Report that was considered by the City of Oakland at last night's City Council meeting. You can download a copy of the report, which calls for a comprehensive city-wide parking study, here at this link:
http://clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/attachments/23626.pdf
Meanwhile, talks forming an Oakland Parking Initiative continue; the date of the next meeting has not been set as of this blog report.
Stay tuned.
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