Parking Meter Fee Increase (Chicago, Oak Park: real estate, apartments, contractor)

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by via chicago

But again this comes back to the main point..the lottery is set up to fund education. So if we lease the lottery to a private firm who turns a significant profit, then all that is potential money for education that is going out the window. If an asset can be made more profitable by a private firm, then the gov't should be able to just do it themselves.

I guess my view is that the government wouldn't make the asset more valuable...probably less valuable. A good contract, revenue sharing agreement, and auditing would allow the government to make more $$ and support education, while a private firm runs it properly.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by almost3am

I guess my view is that the government wouldn't make the asset more valuable...probably less valuable. A good contract, revenue sharing agreement, and auditing would allow the government to make more $$ and support education, while a private firm runs it properly.

In a perfect world, perhaps. I just don't agree with the private ownership of public assets, period. Things start to become too hazy. And again, I don't buy the argument that a private firm can necessarily do something better than the gov't. Its a bureaucracy, just a different kind.

If you have a 100 year contract, then I really don't think theres much incentive to "innovate"...and lets be real; a road is a road. A meter is a meter. The only thing you can really do is charge more, and thats whats going to happen.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by via chicago

In a perfect world, perhaps. I just don't agree with the private ownership of public assets, period. Things start to become too hazy. And again, I don't buy the argument that a private firm can necessarily do something better than the gov't. Its a bureaucracy, just a different kind.

If you have a 100 year contract, then I really don't think theres much incentive to "innovate"...and lets be real; a road is a road. A meter is a meter. The only thing you can really do is charge more, and thats whats going to happen.

Going back to my previous message, I don't agree with public ownership of meters or roads, but I think that the lottery is different.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Thepreacherswife

Most meters outside the loop will go from 25 cents an hour to $1 an hour. Unfreakinbelievable.

Most city parking meters to cost $1 an hour | Clout Street - local political coverage

AHHHH just another little move by Daley and our wonderful head cheif IDIOT Todd Stroger to drive Chicago back to the state it was in in the 1970s and 80s where everyone did everything they could to avoid the City of Chicago like the plague and people and businesses were flocking out to the burbs as fast as they could leaving the city of Chicago to look more like Detroit does today. Way to go Daley, just another brilliant move of taking one step forward and two steps back. I'll just add this onto the recent list of things like Chicago now having the highest sales tax in the country, the complete joke of the state of the CTA, and also now the 4th highest parking rates in the country (just behind NY, which thats just wrong)http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1283082,CST-NWS-parking17.article (broken link). Yup keep it up you two, I can't wait for election time to come around again.

[oakparkdude]

While I do have some concerns regarding how the revenue will be spent, I think street parking in Chicago is massively underpriced, given how scarce a resource it typically is. Especially in the Loop, street parking is much cheaper than garage parking even though street parking is a more convenient (ie, more desirable) option. In general, more desirable parking should be priced higher than less desirable parking. I know people who believe free parking is a God-given right will be ticked off, but we probably should do a better job of rationalizing parking rates.

[Jesse69]

Privatization of Gov services totally sucks. When they privatized some of Medicare my fully paid Psych Bills - now I gotta pay $60.

Mayor Daley totally sucks for the privation stuff he did. Too much privatization and maybe I'll move out of Chicago!

Avengerfire - You should get yourself a commuter bike and skip the CTA!

[Thepreacherswife]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

While I do have some concerns regarding how the revenue will be spent, I think street parking in Chicago is massively underpriced, given how scarce a resource it typically is. Especially in the Loop, street parking is much cheaper than garage parking even though street parking is a more convenient (ie, more desirable) option. In general, more desirable parking should be priced higher than less desirable parking. I know people who believe free parking is a God-given right will be ticked off, we probably should do a better job of rationalizing parking rates.

Looking back, I just realized that in Columbia Missouri I was paying 50 cents per hour for street parking in downtown, so yes, 25 cents an hour is a bargain for neighborhood business districts in Chicago. I might not mind $1 per hour if you could buy it in 15-minute increments. What would be really nice is a meter that would take smart cards:

EZ Park Debit Card Meters

[oakparkdude]

I couldn't find a link saying that when parking rates are raised, you will be unable to pay in 15 minute increments. Anyone care to point one out to me.

[aragx6]

preachers,
That's exactly what I was talking about. I paid less than Chicago in CoMo where a two bedroom apt. cost $450 a month! Something is not right there! LOL! I think it's been underpriced here for a while. If it's so cheap how do you dissuade folks from driving their cars? Make it expensive and people are more apt to take public transit.

[lincolnparker]

The city receives $1.16 billion from a private contractor, who manages meter parking. The city could not care less how low or high the parking meters charge because it receives a fixed fee annually. It is the private contractor who is profiteering by raising the meter charge. As of today, the parking meters charge a quarter for 5 mins in the loop, and a quarter for 15 mins, half an hour or an hour elsewhere.

Originally Posted by Thepreacherswife

That's only for parking in the loop. Other spots would go up to $2 an hour.

The contracting out of parking meters will probably result in more of the "pay and display" machines that take credit/debit cards and coins other than quarters. While that raises the convenience factor, it also raise more money for the city since there's no "free" parking in those places due to someone leaving a space before their time is up. Plus the psychological difference between using a credit card vs. cash means that people are less likely to balk at paying more for parking if they can use a card to pay for it, so folks would be less likely to squawk if rates are increased.

I REALLY hope we don't get the Olympics.

On a related topic, has anybody heard of this in-car meter pilot program in the city? Intriguing idea, but looks like you're still stuck paying for a full hour every time you park.