Ever since the infamous Parking Meter Deal went down, Chicago Parking Meters, LLC has been in the hot seat as they transitioned all of the city's meters to pay boxes.  Forget the fact that the city sold out to them for cash... how did CPM do?  And is the company making any adjustments on the fly?  Well, the Chicago Breaking News Center learned that CPM did make changes over the past few months based on driver feedback.

The company identified these as new system enhancements:

• Portable time: Receipts purchased at pay boxes are good until expiration at any meter with the same or lower hourly rate. The boxes are now clearly printed with the rate.

• Extended periods of stay: Extended parking periods are available near theaters, concert halls, schools, hospitals and other places where parkers need more than a two-hour stay.

Ah, the fallout from Chicago's parking meter lease deal is like a gift that keeps on giving... to the new owners of the meters, that is.

WGN-TV reports this morning, that according to the records of Chicago Parking Meters, LLC, the new, higher parking rates in the city of Chicago are netting the company profits of about a million-dollars-per-week.  Yep.  PER WEEK.

Just imagine, if, instead of selling out the meters for a lump cash sum, The King had just bumped up the meter rates for the city... then he would have had a steady stream of revenue for the rest of time. 

Oh, and guess what... the rates are going up AGAIN on Jan. 1, 2010.

Here's the Deal:

2009 Rates           2010 Rates          % Increase

$1.00/hour            $1.25/hour             25%

$2.00/hour            $2.50/hour             25%

$3.50/hour            $4.25/hour             21%

Looks like the company will also be well into the black next year.

There's a blog entry on the Chicago Reader site that was recently mentioned to me as possible fodder for a blog entry of my own.  The item is mainly focused on a recent "U-turn" of opinion by the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation). 

The Reader reports that just recently, the ATA has come out and said it actually supports the city's privitization plan for parking, and the guy in charge of ATA says he regrets the organization's original scathing report of the deal.  Also in the blog post, Mayor Daley recieves an award from the ATA - for being such a great guy to work with on transportation issues. 

Now, a lot of this is just political wheeling and dealing... and who knows what this meter deal is really going to mean for EVERYONE involved down the road.  Besides, why does a community activist group do what it does?   We don't really know.  It's likely that not all motives are pure, and the ATA likely needs powerful allies like King Daley to stay relevant and productive.  Now, this is all very interesting cocktail chatter for the Kombucha tap at Whole Foods, yet it doesn't really have an impact on my everyday life.  But one point of the blog entry IS extremely important to me as a bike commuter -- and that's the lack of bike parking now in the city. 

Now, when this meter lease deal first went down, the new parking tsar/company (Chicago Parking Meters, LLC) promised it would keep old meters around, despite the 'upgrade' to new-fangled boxes... just for cyclists.  And, it is true that sometimes you'll see one, with a little plaque saying, 'Left for the convenience of cyclists' - or some other such ditty.  Yet, even if there is an old meter, it's probably already got two bikes locked to it.  Judging by the comments on the Reader's blog entry, several bicyclists agree with me - there are simply not enough racks in Chicago.  I could really get behind some sort of campaign to get funding for this... and I really don't think it's a good use of anyone's time to groan about the backroom dealings of most high-placed city officials, whom, let's face it, likely put on their "To-Do" list tasks that will ensure their security- financially or politically.

CLTV is covering the story about the lakefront parking no longer being free in many spots for recreating Chicagoans.  My first thought on the issue was -- jeez, I can't believe it took the city so long to hand over the reins to the quarter-chomping Standard Parking Co.! 

In a metropolis of this size, it's simply unrealistic to expect to park for free -- and this is true whether you're pawning jewelry on a remote stretch of Irving Park Rd, or you're unloading your twins from the mini van and plopping them in a $500 stroller for a lakefront jog.  You don't get access for free.  It would be idiotic for the city (i.e. their contracted meter vendor) to not take one of the most-used areas in the city and earn something from it.  As the Park District officials pointed out in Aaron Baskerville's story -- it's either pony up, or pay elsewhere, like in more (warning -- P word coming up here....) PROPERTY TAXES.

Chicago is teeming with vehicles.  The lakefront is usually jammed with bodies and the cars they drove in on.  It's a simple supply-and-demand issue.  I still want the nasty beer cans picked up off of North Avenue Beach after a holiday weekend so my bike tires won't go flat after every party spot.  If that means packing quarters to park near the path, count me in.

The other day it struck me-  there is another consequence of the new parking boxes that are replacing traditional meters around the city:  No more sliding into a space and discovering the "free" minutes paid for my the previous driver! 

You know what I'm talking about.  It's that excellenct feeling of getting out to feed the meter, only to discover that there is already 18, 30, even 43 minutes left!?!??!?!  Even though it's only a savings of a buck or two... you always feel like you won some cosmic lottery.

The new machines certainly have advantages (taking credit cards, for example... although some people say this allows Big Brother to further track our movements electronically) yet this upgrade to our city streets is more clinical and cold -- leaving no room for the unexpected joy of a pre-fed meter.

This week's cross-town classic series between the Cubs and the Sox has it's drawbacks for residents in and around Wrigleyville -- but most of these folks are used to the invasion of their daily routine for any home game.  If there's any consolation to the greater Chicago area, it is that Wrigley Field is not situated near a major commuter rail line other than the CTA.  In other words, people aren't driving to the neighborhood to park in commuter-specific lots, and then jumping on the red line.  Therefore, average loop commuters (mostly on-foot in this 'hood)aren't severely affected by games.

This is NOT the case near the New York Mets' new ballpark, Citi Field.  Apparently, a parking lot used by many folks who head into Manhattan for work has been commandeered as official game-day parking by the Mets.  This means that by 3 a.m. on the day of a Mets game, the lot charges an $18 "event" rate -- instead of the standard $4 rate. 

What's more, if the game is at night that event rate applies after 9:30 a.m.  Basically, if the Mets are at home, regular commuters are being forced out.  The Mets responded to complaints by saying they have the option to shut down the lot completely to non-game-attendees... so the commuters should feel lucky they have the 'opportunity' to shell out $18 to park.

About two weeks ago, the Naperville City Council approved not the development project they wanted -- but the project that Metra commuters in the area need. 

In a lot alongside the Route 59 Metra station (On Metra's busiest commuter line...) the city had hoped a developer would be constructing shops/restaurants/offices.  But in this current market?  Not gonna happen.  Instead, Railway Plaza 8 LLC got approval to open up a large parking structure by the end of this month... and instead of leasing the spots, they are going to sell them.  This creates, essentially, 'Car Condos.'   And the great thing for the city?  It will rake in property taxes on these little gems!

The price of these spaces seemingly reflects the high demand for park-and-ride convenience in and around Naperville, a booming suburb.  Metra says nearly 6,000 people ride this line every day, and the waiting list to lease spots near the station (at a cost of $480/year) is five years long. 

So, to get in on a Car Condo -- you're looking at about $9,000.  However, after half of the 170-or-so spots are sold, that price increases to $9,600.  Add to that assessments for a condo board (yes, there will be one) and the aforementioned property taxes, and this parking spot is a serious investment. 

The purchasing of spots like this for thousands of dollars has been a long-standing practice in urban centers like New York and Chicago for years... but this suburban project seems to be a new sign of the times.  Would it be worth it for you to have your own spot?  A piece of asphalt likely to appreciate in value as Naperville continues to grow? 

I recently discovered this site, http://chicagoparkingmap.com, while looking for a garage near the site of an appointment in the Loop.  It's a non-profit site that doesn't promote one particular company, but allows you to type in your destination downtown, and it'll give you the options nearby.

The group that runs the site is the PILMC or, the Parking Industry Labor Management Council.  Basically, a union for parking garage employees.  Here's the mission statement:

"To promote the parking industry's important contributions to the Chicago metropolitan area,to improve communication between representatives of labor and management,to enhance economic development in the industry,and to involve employees in decisions affecting their jobs,including improving communication with respect to subjects of mutual interest and concern."

The site is great, PILMC... thanks for that improved communication with drivers! 

Transportation reporter John Hilkevitch posted a great article in today's Chicago Tribune about LAZ Parking.  LAZ is the company that is now in charge of enforcing Chicago's parking meters after the billion-dollar leasing agreement the city agreed to a few months ago. 

Yet as anyone who's been parking around Chicago knows, the hand-over has been far from smooth.  LAZ officials came right out and said that they were unprepared for a market like Chicago, and had to struggle with everything from re-programming meters for new rates, to dealing with dead 9-volt batteries that apparently power many of the city's meters.

Have you experienced any meter abnormalities in the past three months?  Have you changed your parking habits due to the bumpy transition?

By the way - a great blog about the financial hazards of parking in chicago can be found here.