Tuesday, June 23, 2009
News / Clout City Wait, we sold that off too?
Posted by Mick Dumke on Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 5:09 PM
As if there weren’t enough unanswered questions about the implications of the parking meter deal, a new report raises still more, such as: How can the city manage parking and traffic policy if it’s handed off control of the meter system for the next 75 years?
The report [PDF] by the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly known as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) notes that the parking meter system isn’t just a source of revenue—it’s a tool for regulating the flow of traffic. While no one wants to pay more for anything, including parking, the truth is that parking pricing can be used effectively to encourage visitors or fight congestion. At one point aldermen and city officials even talked about adopting London’s “congestion charge” policy to cut traffic and boost public transit in the Loop.
The meter deal made the possibility of doing anything like that all but impossible, alliance policy director Arline Welty writes in a column for Progress Illinois. “In order to maximize profits, the city not only gave up control of future meter revenues but just as importantly, gave up all control of the public right-of-way on any streets with parking meters.
“As a result, every potential project on a street featuring meters—including expanded bicycle lanes, sidewalk expansion, streetscaping, pedestrian bulb-outs, loading zones, rush hour parking control, mid-block crossing, and temporary open spaces—are dictated, controlled, and limited by the lease agreement. These restrictions severely limit innovative planning for bicyclists, pedestrian, and transit users.”
In convincing the City Council to sign off on the deal, Daley administration officials stressed that aldermen and the city retained the rights to determine where meters go and what hours they can operate. But they glossed over what the costs would be.
As we reported a few weeks back, 32nd Ward alderman Scott Waguespack was blown away when city officials told him that the city would have to pay Chicago Parking Meters, the private company that’s leasing the meters, more than $600,000 to scale back the hours on just 250 meters in his ward for the next three years.
Budget department spokesman Pete Scales told us that the figure was based on how much each of those spaces had been used in 2007 and how much cash they were expected to generate under a new fee schedule. “Using these revenue values, the city performed an estimated revenue impact analysis of how the Alderman’s proposed 3-year changes would impact those meter values,” he wrote in an e-mail. “The analysis indicated the changes proposed by the Alderman would decrease the meter values and result in a payment to the concessionaire. This is the type of analysis the city will use each time an Alderman proposes a change to the system.”
Waguespack was forced to drop his plans to change the meter hours because he couldn’t come up with a ready way to replace the money. But Scales denied that the city ceded control of the meter system.
“The agreement preserves Aldermanic rights to change meter locations, rates, and hours of operation,” he added. “However, any changes to the schedule may have an impact on revenues, and the city retains responsibility for that impact.”
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please PLEASE do a Reader story on how the parking meter fiasco impacts bicyclists. Expose the hypocracy of the supposed bicycling mayor who has sold us out on future bike lanes and other green transportation options.
In Iran they park for free!
Here's another cycling-related problem you might want to mention - is there any plan to install more bike lock locations? Fewer meters = fewer places to lock a bike.
Can this damn lease be voided or at least redone by city council action? If it can be done, the current bunch might not do it but maybe a new one would...
How many times with Daley move one of his best trained lairs around. Peter Scales has been the head lair for the Buildings,Planning,Revenue now he is doing his thing the Budget department.
Daley travels . . . Sneed hears Mayor Daley and wife, Maggie, headed to Jordan after their Olympics trip to Lausanne, Switzerland. Sneed hears Maggie plans to stay for a while. Why do the Daleys want to hang around the Middle east for a while?
How many times will Daley move one of his best trained lairs around. Peter Scales has been the head lair for the Buildings,Planning,Revenue now he is doing his thing with the Budget department. Sorry!!
The answer to your question is simple, Daley Watch. How many parking meters do you think they have in the Middle East?
Watzza' a Parking Meter? ... Back to basics. Parking Meter (See Legality)- Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parking_meter Joe Lake Chicago (Bucktown)
When ADULT REALITY HITS, PUNKS ALWAYS RUN. ON OCT 2, 2009, GAME OVER PUNK. No more " Carrot on a stick corrupt adjendas" WE WILL FOCUS ON THE SAD STATE OF DEMOCRACY IN THIS CITY AND STATE. Come on back richie, don't you want to see the movie named in your honor, PUBLIC ENEMY # 1. Can you imagine the stress thats going to hit him as he approaaches O'HARE. CHRIS KELLY, TONY REZKO, JOHN HARRIS, CHRIS KELLY,TONY REZKO, CHRIS KELLY, JOHN HARRIS, he'll probably stop in WASH, DC to have another sleep over with Barack and then secretly drive back into OUR CITY. Be on the look out people PUBLICK ENEMY #1 WILL BE BACK ON OUR STREETS. LETS AT LEAST TRY TO PROTECT OUR KIDS FROM THIS PUNKS REALITY, THE ONLY HAS LEFT IS TO STEAL WHILE HE CAN BEFORE THE WHOLE SCHEME COMES CRASHING DOWN LIKE EVERYONE KNEW IT WOULD UNDER HIS COMMAND, YOU KNOW THE SPOILED CHILD SCENERIO. Grab the popcorn and enjoy the show.
I wonder how much we'll have to reimburse LAZ for lost revenue if we get the Olympics.
I wonder how the revenue actually is compared to the projections since I see lots and lots of empty spaces on the streets where there used to be cars.
Reader columnist knows what we should do with Daley: DTMFA!
by the terms of the contract if the city works on sidewalks, curbs, streets, water, sewer etc and meters are inaccessible for use the meter company is to be paid as if the meters were in almost continuous use. even though loss of meter revenue due to infrastructure maintenance is a normal occurrence. the city was charged $400 an hour per lawyer by the company that put this wonderful deal together, is there anybody honest with smarts working in city gov't? (hiz imperial honor da mayor had to take the bar exam three times)
Mayor Daley is a Milton Friedman wanna-be!
Check this article out. Alderman Tunney's staffer of 25 years created a sign that said he didn't have to pay the meters. Of course Alderman Tunney voted for the parking meter deal... http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Do-It-Yourself-Free-Parking.html#1JvpdA5lhQFp3LvhLcpgF8BKemwwFe9MSM203BTOHd2FgznQVmseAU0B
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