Trib Problem Solver Gets Driver Parking Ticket Justice
You gotta give it to the Chicago Tribune’s Jon Yates.
He gets things done.
That’s probably why he’s called the Problem Solver.
In his most recent column, Yates takes up the parking ticket dilemma of a local driver who very carefully parked on a metered side of a northside street where meter enforcement ends at 6 PM.
After working out at a local gym, he returned to his car to find a parking ticket on his windshield for an expired meter issued at 6:03 PM.
Ouch.
Turns out, directly across the street, metered parking ends at 9 PM. Confusing to be sure, but a mistake on the part of the ticket writer.
The motorist contested the ticket.But despite providing photo evidence that metered parking ended on the side of the street where his car was parked, the Administrative Law Officer still upheld the ticket.
Problem Solver to the rescue!
Yates makes a few phone calls down to the Department of Administrative Hearings and shortly, the city vacates the parking violation.
The crowd goes wild.
Read the entire Problem Solver column, “Problem Solver: Parking ticket from wrong side of street.”
Everything Yates knows about fighting parking tickets he learned from the GEEK!
‘He was particularly happy the city has decided to switch the north side pay box to 6 p.m.’
And no doubt the citizens of Chicago will be getting a bill from LAZ for the 3 hours of parking they can no longer collect.
A solution really must be crafted for this “silly” rule where LAZ gets paid when meters are taken out for construction and the like. MANY meter box spaces in the City are simply not used — for example most of the spaces along Lincoln Avenue from Addison to Montrose. The side streets are meter and zone permit free and not particularly crowded. Yet when they do work on Lincoln they get paid as if they are used? That’s a bad contract provision.
Here are a couple of ideas:
1. A Surtax of $1.50 per space per day for any entity that charges an hourly or daily charge for parking that does not provide for a live parking attendant for at least 8 hours per day. I don’t see how that’s a violation of the contract or agreement and, after all, attended parking is a much better and more secure option.
2. A simple ban on the use of government resources to enforce private parking rights. Let Laz use the legal methods available to all businesses — the right to sue in Court for failure to honor the parking contract.
3. An annual tax per parking space per year on every entity that operates commercial parking and has more than 3000 spaces. Most Commercial Garages are likely exempt from this as each is normally a separate legal corporation to avoid liability issues.
David…that codicil in the Contract is part of what the Alderman and Women either 100% Missed or 100% ignored when they voted on the contract after ‘inspecting it’ for 72 hours.
The 4 (I believe it was only 4) Alder-persons that had the BALLS to vote against the Lease and the Mayor are the only ones that should be on the Council right now.
Look at the Aldermanic Turnover rate in the last election…. A large number of wards have new Aldermen/women because the former incumbent knew they wouldn’t get re-elected after the meter lease deal got rammed through with the customary rubber stamp.
Seeing as how Rahm “Found” 7 Billion for Infrastructure Updates…..Pay CPM however much is required to end the contract and tell Morganb Stanley to go fuck themselves.
And the Geek knows how most of the PEA’s dislike the Meters in general…but
With Meter Ticket revenue at $50 to $60 a ticket (in Central Business District or Outside of it)…the simple fact remains that the City is going to continue checking meters because we Own them despite the Lease.
And yes…we at Revenue love that CPM and Ser Co are checking meters…because the CITY gets the Revenue from meter tickets…and nothing goes to the Contractor from the tickets.
Chicago needs to revoke HCP free Parking on Meters due to the billing that CPM has the ‘legal right’ to do.
The City of Chicago also needs to Revoke the Concessionaire status of the Skyway and the Parking Lots….since Standard Parking has made its money back by now as so has the Conglomerate that currently operates the Skyway.
New Mayor, New Rules.
Screw Privatization….
The new mayor is much less transparent than Daley. Just wait until he leases out the sidewalks to an Abu Dhabi joint venture and we have to pay user fees just to walk somewhere.