DIY Street Cleaning Signs
Reader Dana Kupper captured a photo of this handmade sign in the 4100 block of north Ashland reminding drivers to move their cars so they don’t get ticketed for street cleaning.
Seemingly, this sign hanging hobbyist must be frustrated with the lack of signage by CDOT on that block or perhaps hates seeing drivers getting ticketed so often.
“We need more citizen heroes like this!” Kupper says via e-mail. “Those permanent signs about (weekly) street cleaning on the bigger streets are tricky and hard to see. It would be great if it caught on, I know I have seen people be the victim of not looking up at the signs at 7am and running into a coffee shop or something and coming back to find a great big fat ticket.”…
Kupper thinks Chicagoans need to work together or at least help each other out once in a while.
“We have to use any means necessary to help each other against the tricks that the city likes to pull,” continued Kupper. “Although I have a feeling that whoever put these up did it for either themselves or their spouse to help remind themselves about the weekly danger!”
I think Kupper may be on to something. It’s certainly hard not to agree, as a little bit of kindness certainly does go a long way.
Maybe each of us when possible should start posting DIY signs all over the place–for street cleaning, near speed traps or warning of impending red light cameras.
Chicago would certainly be a nicer place if we cultivated this sort of sense of community.
Thanks again for the great photo Dana.
Please send your photos and tips to: askthegeek@theexpiredmeter.com
And those kindness signs are fodder if we see them.
We will pull them down, as they are non-official signage.
And do you take pride in depriving people of information that would save them a $50 ticket?
C’mon DoR!
Would you really do that?
You’re bumming me out man!
If the DIY signage is truthful and is consistent with other city signs, why not just look the other way? Who is being harmed? No, seriously?
It seems like it’s an attempt for citizens to make sure people move their cars? And, if the signs were posted on private property, how would a city employee take it down?
Most likely, the sign in question is on a tree that is legally accessible to the city. But, what if the person put it on their garage or porch or front window?
I say, just let it be.
Not to mention, since when is Dept. of Revenue charged with sign violations? I wish you would pick up signs that fall after car accidents. I wish you would take down all those pesky illegal banners. I wish….
Those signs can be used to fight a valid ticket. They are not official signs.
Personally…….would I yank it down? Nope.
But I know it won’t last with Streets and San Supervisors making the rounds.
Want better or More Signage? Contact your Ward Office and Bitch that there are never enough signs up…and you are sick of people “Not seeing them.” Or bitch that the Ticket Cost isn’t enough of a deterrent, and needs to be increased to X.00$ to get the point across.
Because your sick of having to sweep your own darn street.
Ward 1 is a great example…
Permanent Signs…..Up year Round, and never come down.
Car’s don’t Move.
Whew!
DoR you had me going there for a minute. I’m glad you wouldn’t do that.
But I agree with you wholeheartedly–bitch, bitch, bitch to the alderman for proper signage.
I also agree with your point about permanent street cleaning signs–they do more bad then good.
My theory? Drivers get so used to those signs on the street, it becomes invisible to them. Visual noise. Drivers tune out the signs and then get burned.
However, when the bright paper signs pop up on trees, sign posts, etc., people pay attention.
The best possible scenario is to have the permanent signs but ALSO put up the paper signs as well.
Of course, since the city is broke, let’s just stick with the paper signs.
And if we went away from the Paper signs to perm metal ones…..Sign Hangers would potentially lose their jobs.
Assholes need to stop pulling the Paper Signs down……thats half the problem that people get tickets for street cleaning.
1 sign on the block = Able to enforce Entire Block.
“I know I have seen people be the victim of not looking up at the signs at 7am and running into a coffee shop or something and coming back to find a great big fat ticket.”
What a ridiculous statement. I’m surprised you posted it. Not looking up? Like that is hard to do?? How about “victims” not looking up at a red light and crashing into someone? Not their fault- its the City’s fault for not putting the red light at eye level, interrupting the cell phone call the driver is on, and paying for a heads up display for every car.
OK, its a bit much, but so is that statement. This city has gone from a proud people to a bunch of whiners. AND, for the first time in my life (I grew up here) you can find the street cleaning schedules ONLINE 24-7. Man up people. You screwed up. Yes, you did. Now be good boys and girls and pay the ticket YOU earned, and move on. That wasn’t so hard, was it?
Phillip……..it is that hard apparently.
If I didn’t care that doR supervisors and managers could figure it out I’d post my daily numbers Here and Prove that Chicagoan’s are STUPID Parkers Daily.
But keeping it vague…
I can easily write between 50 and 200 tickets a day based upon how big of an ASSHOLE I Choose to be.
Street Cleaning? Don’t be parked there…you will get a ticket from me.
Expired Plates? I will issue it if there isn’t one on the car already.
No Front Plate for Illinois Vehicles? I’ll write it.
Tinted windows? Yes
Bus Stops? Yes
Crosswalk parking? Yes
Sidewalk park/blocking: Yes
Expired Meters? Probably…depends.
Tow Zone for a Starbucks? yes
Hydrant for your Dry Cleaning? yes
Bus Stop to drop your whiney brat at daycare or you’re hitting the atm?
yes.
I will write everything we are Authorized to write.
How can anyone have lived in Chicago (or any other large city) for longer than a day and not realize you need to look up and down the block for parking rules signs? I have very little sympathy for people who “just didn’t see” a sign. People need to stop whining and take responsibility for themselves.
Chris……..the out of state people that seem to Live here Full time, and don’t buy City Stickers or Change their cars/trucks/vans over to IL plates get little to no sympathy from me.
The City Residents that are lazy get less.
I only feel sorry for the Suburban folk that don’t realize that we enforce everything the state allows.
People in this city will avoid taking responsibility as much as possible.
Example? I ran into a vehicle with 4 problems late last month.
Exp Plates
No Front Plate
No RPP for correct Zone
No 2010 City Sticker.
I was going to take pity and only issue for the Exp plates…50 bucks..and not issue the Other 3 tickets.
Car owner Ran up just as I was putting the 1 ticket under the windshield and started cursing me out like it was an Olympic sport and he was going for Gold. So….at that point…I processed ticket 2……..Kept swearing………..wrote ticket 3…………threaten physical abuse….issued ticket 4 and then asked if he wanted to continue being vulgar after 280 in fines and automatically making the Boot List?
Even if we are doing the Job 100% accurately and properly…people in this city want to park where they want to park.
I no longer give breaks on anything Other than a Meter.
DoR: What’s so dear to your heart about meter violations? A couple bucks in the meter is less onerous than $100 plates, $75 sticker, $30 RPP.
I hate Meters.
Thats me.
And its
50 for No Front Plate
50 for Expired Plates
120 for City Sticker
60 for RPP
Just maybe the person who put the homemade sign up whats to have his street cleaned.
If I can say something, I wish to alert people to a lot on 63rd and Maryland, one block EAST from Cottage Grove. Beginning Monday October 3rd, anyone who parks on the empty lot will get a parking ticket from the city. A sign posted on the door of a nearby restaurant was how I knew. I had just parked my car there when I saw it and moved my car. Maybe someone can go by this area and put a “NO PARKING ALLOWED – VIOLATORS WILL BE TICKETED” sign on the lot somewhere where it can easily be seen. I cringed with fury when I saw a Californian car with a ticket on the windshield yesterday. Again, I post this as a notice to all who (who think of trying to) park in the area, Do NOT park on the lot!
Hey A. Castro!
Thanks for the great info!
VERY appreciated.
South Siders be careful!
A. Castro.
Why? What does the signage in the Lot say?
Would be helpful.
“Those signs can be used to fight a valid ticket. They are not official signs. ”
No they can’t. Hearing “officers” don’t even overturn bullshit tickets. No way would they let somebody out of a ticket just because of someone’s homemade sign.
Pete….I average between .01 and 10 percent dismissed monthly by ALO’s.
They dismiss what they want….when they want to…IF they want to.
They could dismiss for a transposition error…or the wrong violation (exp plate instead of exp meter…Oops)…or NO DAMN REASON At all.
The Dept Directors are pressuring the ALO’s to Stop Dismissing unless there is CAUSE.
So in other words I need to slide the “officer” a 20 in order to get my ticket thrown out? Or is the bribe delivered some other way?
The ALO’s are appointed by a Judge….they don’t actually have to “apply for the job.”
In response to Capt. M Plate: There are no signs in the lot as of Wednesday, October 5th. Just an empty lot, nothing else. There was a sign in front of a nearby restaurant that warns motorists that the City will issue tickets for those who park there.
I will park there tomorrow (not on the lot, though) seeing as I take the Green Line to Downtown for college. If I see any signs or ticketed cars I will let you all know about signage and/or ticket costs.
OK everybody, I drove to the area this morning and there are NO signs whatsoever warning motorists that they will be ticketed for parking on the lot at 63rd and Maryland. If you check out Daily’s Resaturant to the west (Cottage Grove), you will see a warning taped to the door urging you to move your car or get a ticket. Apparently, the city decided to do this so they can get some easy money, makes me sick…
Are you talking about the vacant Lot with grass and dirt?
If you are…no one can park there with out expressed consent of the property owner.
And if Eminent Domain has been applied…it is city property.
Just like you can’t ever park on a Sidewalk or in a Crosswalk…you can’t park a vehicle on City owned property. And you can’t park on Private property without owners permission…and the City can write tickets on Private property if the Owner has given Written Consent.
Contact the Alderman’s Office for clarification…Willie Cochran…Ward 20….Dept. Director Persons Uncle.
And it isn’t a Lot. It’s vacant property. Grass and Dirt does not = parking lot just because people park there.
I can ticket you there…the CPD can…the Streets and San Tow Trucks can Impound you from there for Trespassing.
In that case, now I see why they’re handing out tickets there. But still, if it’s private (or city) property and the City doesn’t want anyone parking there, why not hang a sign from the streetlight on the corner warning people not to park there? Easy fix, if you ask me, an easily visible sign is enough to deter most people from parking there…
Thank God that I never got a ticket for parking there. After one $60 ticket for parking Downtown (expired meter), I’ve been riding the CTA ever since… Cheaper and less stressful.
The problem with all of the City policies is a lack of common sense. Take this morning. Smack dab in the middle of the School Drop Off zone this morning was a booted delivery van. Booted 3 days ago and left to “sit” in the middle of a school drop off zone. The Department of Revenue did “its job” by booting without any consideration as to the safety of the schoolkids. (Its a school tow zone.. but since that is apparently a “safety issue” not a revenue issue, cars don’t get towed…) the proof is in the pudding… parking enforcement is done for the sole purpose of revenue and the “safety” considerations are mere lip service.
David….all Booted Vehicles get 72 hours to schedule Payment and Removal of the Boot. Our Department doesn’t just Tow the vehicle (unless it is Booted under 9-72-070).
A police Officer from that district should have gotten out of their soft car seat and written a Tow Order and then waited until the Tow Truck showed up.
And Castro….signs hung by this city have a disturbing habit of vanishing for strange reasons.
Street Cleaning signs….Tow Zone signs…Whole damn Sign Posts And the Signs…happens on the North side/South side/East Side and West Side.
And as for “Deters people from parking there”, I don’t want to sound Rude…but are you new to this City?
People throw a car into a Tow Zone to get Starbucks or a Bus Stop for the ATM or Dry Cleaning or On a Hydrant to ‘run inside for a few moments since there is no Fire’ or Double Park in a Bike lane to do this or that.
Common Sense in this city isn’t actually that Common, and enables PEA’s to write Hundreds of tickets a Day without ever having to inspect Meter Receipts or do Street Cleaning.
Our Favorite poster…Capt M Plate made the Top Ten Last month……AGAIN…..over 2100 tickets in 22 days. And M Plate works everywhere….Rich wards, poor wards…Wards so poor they had the ‘OR’ repo’d.
DoR-
Regarding the 72 hours, I thought your car could be towed 24 hours from when it was booted. I will try to look up the muni code.
Because my booted car a few years back was towed at the 24th hour and 1 minute. No lie. But then again, I’ve seen booted cars hang out for days and days.
Are you saying that you get 72 hours before you are towed if you reach out to the Dept. of Revenue and tell them you’ll be in to make payment arrangements within 72 hours?
Mike:
I think for a Friday Boot with a Federal Holiday…that it’s 72 hours.
Beyond that…not 100% certain.