Monthly Archives: March 2010
Happy Monday!
Yeah, for whatever reason, this is how I feel this particular Monday.
Perhaps it’s this weather.
Thanks to Matt S. for sending us this photo from someplace in Wicker Park.
But remember everyone, vandalism will get you more than a parking ticket and perhaps even time in jail.
Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
I came up with that all on my own.
Red Light Camera Protests Target Senators Cullerton, Millner Saturday
It was Valentine’s Day when Chicago’s last red light camera protest took place.
Now, with RLC “reform” legislation advancing in the state senate, protesters are coming back for round number two on Saturday with a pair of protests around Chicagoland.
Ticket Blitz Plaguing SW Side?
Is there a parking enforcement blitz occurring on Chicago’s southwest side?
According to WGN TV, some residents in Ald. Michael Zalewski’s 23rd ward think so.
As Spring Begins Parking Meter Company Puts Final Touches On Winterizing New Pay Boxes
With highs flirting with 60 degrees today, maintenance people for LAZ Parking have had rather nice weather to complete winterizing parking meter pay boxes.
Just in time for Spring and improving temperatures, maintenance crews have been installing clear rubber button covers over the payment buttons on the machines in preparation for cold weather conditions.
This past winter, Chicago Parking Meters experienced two separate days where, after significant precipitation and quickly plummeting temperatures, buttons on the front of a high percentage of pay boxes froze. The frozen buttons made those affected machines inoperable and gave the company another very public black eye.
Watered Down Red Light Camera Bill Trickles Out Of Committee
Cullerton Plays Politics With Anti-RLC Colleague’s Red Light Video
There’s finally a red light camera reform bill headed to the floor of the senate.
But there’s question on whether or not it will actually provide the type of revisions and restrictions anti-red light camera proponents have been asking for.
Monday in Springfield, the Transportation Committee advanced a bill sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) that purportedly gives motorists some red light camera relief.
NYC Mistakenly Tows Corpse To Tow Pound
You know you’re already having a bad day when you’re dead.
But, last week, a corpse in New York received one final insult when it was given a free ride to a NYC tow pound.
Said corpse was minding its own business in the back of a funeral home minivan parked in a loading zone for hearses and other funeral vehicles, in front of Redden’s Funeral Home waiting to be taken to the airport for its final destination in Miami according to the New York Daily News.
But, for some reason, the New York cops didn’t see the placard identifying the vehicle was there on business or the corpse in the back. The minivan was ticketed and towed.
Toyota Accelerator Allegations May Be Hoax
I’ve been scratching my head over this story.
As someone who’s driven many a Toyota vehicle in my driving lifetime, based on my experiences with the reliability of this auto brand, I’ve been just a little skeptical about the many allegations of accelerator issues.
Then, on the heels of congressional hearings a few weeks back, a driver in California goes through some sort of dramatic 911 chronicled incident with his Toyota Prius hybrid and was ultimately helped to stop his runaway vehicle by a state trooper.
Red Light Camera Fall Down, Go Boom At Archer & Ashland
It was vehicle vs. red light camera early Saturday morning in the McKinley Park neighborhood.
Alderman Hairston Goes To Pittsburgh?
Warns Steel City Against Parking Meter Lease Deal
Alderman Leslie Hairston (5th) was out of her Chicago office Thursday.
Ms. Hairston decided to spend the day in, of all places, Pittsburgh.
The alderman, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, was in town at the behest of Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto, to share her views on Chicago’s experience with leasing its parking meter system with the Pittsburgh City Council.
Pittsburgh, like many major American cities struggling with massive budget deficits, is considering leasing its parking garages and parking meter system ala Chicago, to raise much needed funds.
Follow The Money: Is Chicago Compromising Safety To Rake In Easy RLC Revenue?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Second part of a 2 part series.
This story reported in partnership with Fox News Chicago.
Yellow Light Ticket Trap?
A three second yellow light sets up drivers for failure.
At least that’s what many red light camera critics and traffic engineers believe.
That’s because the vast majority of red light violations are occurring just fractions of a second over the federal three second minimum yellow light interval, and many studies indicate extending the yellow time reduces red light running so dramatically.
” A study done by Joseph Milazzo (currently Executive Director of the Regional Transportation Alliance) in North Carolina found that of the intersections he studied none of the red light running accidents occurred from motorists that entered the intersection up to one second after the light turned red, and the vast majority happened more than three seconds after the light turned red,” explains traffic engineer Matt Gauntt. “Cheating the red time for a second, is really not the danger that we are trying to fix.”
