UPDATE: 11:30 AM
WBEZ is reporting that early this morning there were reports of pay boxes that were still frozen up.
So far this morning, none of the pay boxes we’ve encountered were experiencing any problems.
This seems to be for two reasons. First LAZ crews are getting out and winterizing the machines with lithium grease to prevent freezing (you can feel the residue of the lithium on the buttons). In addition, the sun is out and the temperature is rising.
UPDATE: 9:00 PM
Other local media outlets are reporting that “Roughly 2 percent or 84 of the 4,200 boxes,” were not working due to the cold temperatures.
The truth is, the problem was much larger and systematic in scope than the laughable 2% claimed by LAZ Parking and the city. Based on the 40 some meters we surveyed throughout the past 24 hours, we found 60% to have frozen components at some point during said 24 hours.
In addition, again despite LAZ’s claims to the contrary, there are still pay boxes which are malfunctioning due to the cold weather. A re-check of 20 meters this evening found 7 with frozen buttons. Of course, with the sun setting and temperatures dropping, it’s not a surprise that this is occurring.
Other claims by the Mayor, Dept. of Revenue and LAZ that mechanical breakdowns of this size and scope happened all the time in the past is just pure science fiction. Traditional, single-head meters would never fail as dramatically as the new pay boxes have.
To a lesser degree than today, expect more problems this evening and early tomorrow morning until temperatures warm up into the balmy mid-20’s. Plus, it will take LAZ crews at least another day to check all 4200 pay boxes.
It seems, along with everything else in the city today, Chicago’s new parking meter pay boxes are freezing up too.
While the general consensus has been the 4200 new pay and display parking meters, recently installed by LAZ Parking, are an improvement over the old fashioned single space parking meters, these new machines have never faced a tough Chicago winter.
Grant Gannon and his girlfriend were out having dinner last night and noticed the problem on the northside, near the CTA Brown line stop at Rockwell.
“The buttons for ‘Max’, ‘.25′ and ‘$1′ were frozen solid and unable to be pushed,” explained Gannon. “What’s worse is the green ‘Print Receipt’ button froze too. I tested another box on Rockwell and found the same problem! I was able to mash in the green button but it stuck and wouldn’t pop back out.”
Indeed it’s true.
Of the 30 or so pay boxes we checked, nearly 75% were incapacitated in some way from the extreme temperatures. In some instances, one or two of the machine’s payment buttons were frozen. In one case, all the buttons were frozen solid rendering the machine inoperable.
Operators for LAZ’s customer service recommend reporting the meter and if you get a ticket, use the reference number given to contest your ticket. Hearing officers will have access to the broken meter database and will be able to corroborate your story.
Interesting enough, according to sources within the Department of Revenue, high level DOR officials conveyed their concerns and fears over the performance of the new and untested pay boxes in Chicago’s harsh winter environment to Chicago Parking Meters, LLC and LAZ Parking in late summer. These top DOR managers did not want any embarrassing problems due to winter weather, akin to some of the earlier implementation issues back in March, and a mass outage of hundreds of pay boxes located downtown in May.
The two companies did respond to the DOR’s requests and have been “winterizing” the 4200 pay and display meters throughout the city for the past several weeks with a tentative completion date of January 1, 2010 according to the company’s website.
“CPM is making modifications to its Pay Boxes by installing covers on the credit card and receipt slots,” according to a post on the homepage of the Chicago Meters website. “Before CPM began installing the nearly 4,200 Pay Boxes throughout Chicago, motorists had to remove snow and ice from the City’s old Pay Boxes before operating them. That inconvenience will be a thing of the past. The credit card and receipt slot covers repel snow and ice, making it easier to complete a credit card payment and retrieve a receipt. ”
In addition, larger, more powerful batteries are being installed in each of the machines to insure pay boxes don’t lose power due to the lack of sunlight that recharge internal batteries via solar panels.
Unfortunately, at least in these current conditions where rain, sleet and snow were followed by quickly plummeting temperatures and high winds, many meter pay boxes are literally freezing.
Calls to spokespersons for both CPM and the DOR went unreturned.
Posted in 
[...] Chicago is, however, pretty stupid. We have these parking meters that have been a downright problem. I referred to them as ‘wallet sodomites’ once in polite company, and got gales of laughter.Well these overpriced, privatized prices of utter crap FROZE last night. These are the same meters that make papers with sticky backing, so you can stick your receipt to your motorcycle and scooter, but the sticky bits melted off in our summer heat. The damn things are so frozen, you can’t even press the buttons! [...]
EPIC GOVERNMENT FAIL! Yet again! What next? Oh noes! Mayor Mumbles takes it in the coin slot again!
Someone said in SF someone produced an exact photographic self-adhesive one-to-one scale sticker of a solar panel image array??? Now what could one possibly do with that? About the same one could do with a cafeteria ketchup/mustard squeeze bottle full of water and a few cotton balls kept warm and toasty inside a jacket pocket in this nasty freezing weather…
The pay box on my street (Plymouth/Harrison) was frozen and inoperative this morning. I walked a block over to another machine and that one worked although to did not have the little clear plexi flaps covering the credit card and receipt slots. A couple days ago I actually saw a LAZ worker spaying the outside face of these boxes with some type of lube/protectant . . . with mixed results apparently. The only saving grace is that I’ve not seen anyone out in the sub-zero temps writing tickets yet.
I’ve also been very concerned about the security of the credit card info that these machines utilize. Anyone know if the company that owns this system has the right to sell your cc info once you’ve used a pay box like some of those retail kiosks do?
do not fear…….the ticket…..writers are out …….here……..it maybe……cold……but we…..will.get.the……job……done…
Hey, ldypea!
Just out of curiosity, are you a computerized robot or one of those old-timey stock market tickers?
Lance, I found information online about the credit card information. It’s in the City’s FAQs: “Do pay boxes protect against identity theft? Yes, they are PCI compliant. PCI is the Payment Card Industry Security Standard for protecting data. It is a set of requirements designed to ensure that companies that process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.” Hope this helps…
Hey Lance….
We actually check the boxes before writing on cars that don’t have receipts.
Here’s the deal though….
One Box not working? Check the one across the street…cause we do. If the other box is operable..we are still able to enforce the Metered street for receipts or lack there of.
Now…if I was in charge of Ops for LAZ/CPM…I’d have invested in a Box that comes with a heating element that would prevent the freezing of the buttons. Since they are all located in the same region of the front of the Pay Box…it wouldn’t be a problem to conceptualize a preventative preemptive
solution like this. Thus enabling the boxes to work in all conditions and allow people to pay if they choose to park on a metered street.
Tuesday evening I parked on Armitage for less than 2 hours and scurried back to my car when I realized time was almost up. Turns out I shoulda slowed my roll. It was snowing and my windshield was covered. So what’s going to happen when there’s snow covering the receipt? Are we all supposed to run out every once in a while and rub that one corner clear?
Wait, I just answered my own question! The parktards will rub the windshield. So, do I want their hands on my property? Or should I be thankful that they are saving me the trouble of clearing my windshield? Hmm…
Chicago’s “Big Man” does not have or just ran out of excuses…. Blah…. Blah… Blah…. Pity… I bet you he never had to ever pay a parking meter in his life… He has no idea how frustrating it is for drivers….
Oh yeah… and the company behind these boxes… SHAME on YOU… you expect people to call that “800″ if there’s a problem… With the $$$$$$$ that you rip off people… you mean you couldn’t install an OnStar button on that box???… You expect everyone to have a cellphone?… so, if they dont have one – they’re f’d up???… Walk accross the street???.. OH COME ON!!!! Why don’t you just put an attendant(metermaid) beside it and have him/her walk accross the street…
Wait… wait… wait… Here’s an idea…. why don’t you put your box inside a phone booth…. so we can call your 800 at the same time….
Lance Uppercut,
I about splooged tea allover my monitor when I read your post to ldypea…I’ve been wondering the exact same thing but haven’t had the guts to ask!
-John Adams
Illinois Patriot, where would one be able to purchase one of those solar panel stickers? My 8-year-old is building a rocket ship and space station and one of these would really make it look authentic. I may have to get a few, just in case we mess up the first applications.
Snowgirl…
So sorry……but we have a legal right to touch your car/truck/broom
DoR Employee,
That’s okay, hun! Just make sure you do a good job wiping the snow off. Better you than me!
Sincerely,
Snowgirl with warm, dry hands
DoR Employee Says:
Snowgirl…
So sorry……but we have a legal right to touch your car/truck/broom
Really? Can someone cite this law?
Really, who has the time to sit and call in a broken meter then get a ticket and then have to go and explain to some in-ept high school dropout about why the ticket needs to be dismissed. I have better things to do with my time. I really don’t care about why this is happening. It is just unacceptable.
Not worth the hassle to park at a meter. I gladly stick to the side streets when I venture out and walk an extra block or two. No big deal at all!
I for one am laughing at this whole thing. I expect that I won’t be the only one throwing a little water on these pay and display boxes when I walk by on a cold day. Spit works wonders too.
In the summer, I stick to the Krazy Glue. $1.29 for a tube. Less than 2 hours of LAZ parking
Maybe the City should declare that are no parking fees at meters until it warms up. In other words NO FEES DURING THE FREEZE. this is an act of nature and impossible for the City to predict that the cold weather might affect these delicate devices.
I think we just found the answer to unemployment in chicago: install more parking meters. Between, clearing windshields, dethawing machines, and running acroos streets looking for operable meters half the city could be employed….
I’m fed up! I went to open my car door and the handle was frozen! Ford Motor Company better get their asses in gear and come over and unfreeze my door handle pronto! Don’t they realize that I live in Chicago? How could they sell me a car with a door handle that freezes in sub-zero weather! And while they’re at it my windshield is iced up. What the hell were they thinking? That ratbastard Daily, it’s all his fault.
The pay boxes need SNUGGIES you could still reach the credit slot through the slevees.
IP….I’m sorry…but are you dense?
By charter…the Department of Revenue is legally empowered to enforce the Meters. As such..we have to be able to see the receipts. Thus…if between the time you purchase your receipt and the time we come upon your vehicle there is some snow fall that covers your windshield; we have to be able to see the receipt. So we have to brush off the snow or ice that covers the receipt so we can correctly view the time on the pay and display receipt. To wit…so we do not incorrectly issue an Expired Meter ticket. Ipso Facto.
Unless you would prefer that we just wander merrily by each snow covered car and issue Expired Meter; Reason: Improper Display tickets and not exercise some care to avoid errors.
Hey PTG; where is your Dork Stamp?
Oh and Chad……
I hope I see you do that with the Crazy Glue…
Vandalizing City Property is a Crime .
720 ILCS 5/21‑1.3: Vandalism of less than $300. Class 3 Felony. If I remember my PD training correctly.
[...] opinions on just how many are broker. LAZ Parking says 2%, but the esteemed Parking Meter Geek at The Expired Meter puts it closer to 60% of meters weren’t functioning leaving motorists shivering on the [...]
“If you prick me….. do I not bleed???
If you tickle me…. do I not laugh????
If you poison me….. do I not DIE????”
If I were….. to listen to my bosses,,,,, I am expected to be a machine…… and nothing more….but I must…..burst….thier…….bubbles and……be human
Geek,
Based on my experience, I just don’t think your statement that “traditional, single-head meters would never fail as dramatically as the new pay boxes have” is credible. It’s a bit revisionist to think that single space meters didn’t have plenty of issues of their own during cold weather. The screens on the single space electronic meters that I encountered went blank during extreme conditions. That’s not surprising, though, because that’s just what LCD/LED screens do in the cold. I’m certain there were more broken single space meters in the winter too. I suspect (and I’ve confirmed this with some surfing online) that’s because cold weather ravages batteries. A battery can’t make the same amount of energy in cold weather as in warm. As temperature falls, so does available current. During really cold weather, a battery cell can even freeze solid.
“DoR Employee Says:
IP….I’m sorry…but are you dense?”
Ahh but Mr. City Tax Collector Scumbag, you did not actually show (or cite by URL) where the law says that you have the legal authority to clear or scrape anyones windshield? SHOW US THE LAW! Dollar to the children you snakes eat for lunch that there is nothing that actually grants you such authority.
BTW I am amused by the way you clowns beat your chests whenever someone dares rub you the wrong way or challenges you guys here at this forum. Who in the fuck do you people think you are? You and your ilk are basically like every other government employee. Too stupid to do a real job that requires any intelligence or useful skill…so you latch on to the tit of the taxpayer. Except in your case while you chew on that tit you also manage to kick it’s owner in the crotch. God you must all be so proud of yourselves!
Sorry Geek and your faithful readership for having to suffer my wrath. It had to be said. Their level of egregious arrogance is stunning…truly stunning.
Matt Says:
“Not worth the hassle to park at a meter. I gladly stick to the side streets when I venture out and walk an extra block or two. No big deal at all!”
Yep – pretty much what I do. As I have stated before, I am sure I am not the only one who does that by any means. Did the city not think that allowing the rates to be raised and the hours extended would cause more clogging on the side streets?
So be it. Since the sale of the meters almost a year ago, I have not put a single cent into the meters.
Hey Facts,
Currently, my opinion on single-space meters is based on many years of observation. So, I will agree that I don’t, at this time, have any hard data on this.
However, I’m setting up an interview with someone who worked for a major meter manufacturer, whom, at least initially, seems to agree with me. We’ll see.
But, while I’ve seen meters fail, or rendered inoperable, I’ve never seen a mass outage of meters–even in horrible winter weather in the depths of winter–like we did for these pay boxes.
So, I’m not saying the old school meters didn’t have their problems. They obviously did.
But realize this. If a single space meter is broken, only one space is affected.
If a pay box goes down, on average, 8-10 spaces are affected.
Just for mathematics sake, let’s say 100 single head meters go down because of the weather, you impact 100 spaces.
If a 100 pay boxes go down, 800-1000 spaces are affected.
And believe me, there were MUCH more than 100 meters that were frozen up for a good part of Thursday.
So, you see the scope of this recent breakdown has a much larger impact because of this.
IP-
I’m not sure I have an issue with a PEA scraping my windshield to look for a receipt. I need to think about this some more, but right off the bat, I’m not really seeing the problem.
I kinda see what you’re saying, but I’m not sure I’m buying it.
Also, in defense of PEAs, I’m not sure it’s fair to hold them to account for just enforcing the law. It’s our local lawmakers who are ultimately responsible. Why don’t they make tickets more affordable? I mean really, $50 for not putting a quarter into a meter? Is that fair?
But PEAs didn’t write the law. You may not like what they do, and dislike it when some write improper tickets, but they’re just doing their job.
Finally, I would like to gently remind everyone that while we full embrace free speech here, respect everyone’s opinion, and do not censor comments, we STRONGLY encourage all comments to be respectful and discourage personal attacks. However, we have no issue with profanity (as long as it’s not aimed at someone individually).
It’s our goal for all points of view to feel welcome here.
Thank you for that comment Mike.
As for IP….he can **censored for gross sexual comment**.
IP-
It seems like your so bent on destroying any ticket writers in this website.You can ask any ticket writer if their job is easy? A majority of them will say yes, only because citizens of this great city will put themselves in a situation where a ticket is necessary.
Example: Vehicle parked in a bus stop(with expired plates), where there is plenty of space to park at a meter. Do you ticket this poor sap?
It seems like ticket writers are out there nonstop ticketing. We only do what the public gives us. I have met a lot of people who never get tickets because they do not put themselves in a situation to get ticketed.
DOR & IP-
As a side note, I actually believe, despite any differences on the topic of parking/parking tickets, etc., I think the three of us share some very similar political views. Seriously.
I believe we share more views in common than not–at least from what I can read into both of your comments and e-mails.
Yawn… Hey DOR Have a great Christmas!
Somewhat related. Hackers I know are offering a decent cash reward for BOTH detailed interior photos and a complete set of set-up and programming manuals for the new pay stations.
Optimus Prime Wrote:
It seems like ticket writers are out there nonstop ticketing.
They are because their evil overlord Mayor Mumbles ordered them to do so. He needs the cash!
Optimus Prime Wrote:
We only do what the public gives us.
Then you should be doing nothing! After all that is what the public REALLY wants to give you!
Optimus Prime Wrote:
I have met a lot of people who never get tickets because they do not put themselves in a situation to get ticketed.
Right, we call them public transportation riders who don’t own cars. Anyone who lives in Chicago and owns a car will, sooner or later, get screwed for some inane rule designed solely by a political asshat for revenue generation.
“Then you should be doing nothing! After all that is what the public REALLY wants to give you!”
Horseshit IP.
We do as well as we do because the people that drive and park in Chicago are Stupid.
And it is the Job to enforce…not mollycoddle stupid people.
You want to enact some change? Get your name on the Mayoral Ballot. Otherwise STFU.
You want to get pissy about it?
Municipal Code 4-220:
City Employees are authorized to enter private lots that are accessible via a city owned public way.
So how safe are you in that Target Lot? Not at all.
Just to cover it real fast:
Vehicles that PEA’s are not allowed to Enforce:
Marked Police Vehicles (Actual Blue and Whites)
Marked CFD vehicles (Actual Red and etc…)
I will issue on a BoE van
I will Issue on a USPS vehicle
I will Ticket a UPS or FedEx
I will Write a DoR vehicle
I will issue on any plate or vehicle that deserves it.
a dor…….usps……dont have plates……
Ldypea….
I am sure you know how to locate a vin number.
but if you don’t…please……RETIRE!
And I will say it again.
Heating Elements around the interior where these buttons are located at would prevent the issue.
But CPM would have had to invest in more expensive boxes and better battery systems.
Today’s word is “mollycoddle”. Ok everyone use it in a sentence!
Me DoR!
Me beat chest!
Throw shrubs, charge towards you, write many tickets! You will fear me!
Fear my roar for I am…DoR!
Like I said earlier, yawn.
BTW I don’t care much for Target’s. Unless I’m shooting at them.
BOTTOM LINE?
Fire Richard Daley.
Fire Richard Daley.
Fire Richard Daley.
DoR,
I hate to burst your bubble but USPS vehicles are exempt from local parking regulations and have the same rights as an emergency vehicle. Look it up.
As for any heating elements around the buttons, the fact that the machines are solar may be why that application is not possible.
I tried calling in a broken box. It was a long and complicated process and mostly they didn’t seem to care about the broken box as much as directing me to the box across the street. So I had to leave my small kids standing on the sidewalk on one side of the street while I went to the other side of the street to get the sticker… and that box was broken too. I put the kids back in the car and drove to Park Ridge to get what I was looking for.
As for touching my car, I have an aluminized sheet that I often place on the windshield when it is snowing. It enables me to take it write off and avoid the scraping. What am I supposed to do about displaying the sticker?
What I am looking forward to is the weather conditions starting to break those solar panels on top of the boxes or a BIG storm which really hits the boxes. They were pretty much rendered out of commission this week with a piddly little Southeastern US non-storm.
Peter…
Can you prove that? With Statues and Code?
I’d love to see it…
IP….look..
I understand people hate getting tickets.
I get that people don’t like us, unless there is a problem THEY want taken care of…like a car on their RPP street.
The sense of Self Entitlement of people in this city that makes them think that parking on a Hydrant or in a Bus stop or tow zone or in a Bike Path to “Just Get dry cleaning/coffee/atm/whatever”
is enough to make me puke daily.
I have said numerous times, I avoid meters as much as possible and prefer to stay in the residential neighborhoods and check cars there.
DoR, I’m with you on choking back the puke when you see someone park on a hydrant, etc. then run for coffee, etc.
In a perfect world, there’d be a giant mobile crusher that reduced these vehicles to a small cube on the spot.
Hey Peter Parker, when your car door wouldn’t open, did you get fined 50.00?
Maybe I’m misunderstanding your sarcastic tone, but it seems you are saying that we shouldn’t all be upset that the pay boxes don’t work…did I understand correctly?
DoR said:
‘The sense of Self Entitlement of people in this city that makes them think that parking on a Hydrant or in a Bus stop or tow zone or in a Bike Path to “Just Get dry cleaning/coffee/atm/whatever”
is enough to make me puke daily.”
Hey man, you know, not everyone has this attitude, and, in fact, I think they are in the minority. NOBODY HERE IS COMPLAINING ABOUT HYDRANTS OR BUSTOPS OR HANDICAP ZONES, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
We are complaining about bogus tickets and bogus laws. I wish you’d quit bringing up the hydrant/bus stop/crosswalk/handicap argument.
And we don’t all like being lumped together anymore than you like being lumped together with Chicago Cops, LAZ, or whoever else is writing tickets. So stop lumping all of “Chicago’s stupid motorists” together and try listening to each complaint on its own merit, rather than having the “no mercy” attitude that you seem to have.
I don’t park in handicap zones, bus stops, hydrant zones, from here to curb zones, crosswalks, etc. Yet I’m still pissed off with this meter deal. So maybe you can hear me out when I bring up LEGITIMATE PARKING PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF CONSTANTLY DEFLECTING MY COMPLAINTS BY BRINGING UP THE AFOREMENTTIONED SITUATIONS.
You know John…you are correct.
Ultimately…the fault for the chicken shit municipal codes that annoys the piss out of people because they didn’t know it was on the books lies with the Aldermen/women And the Mayor.
Did you know:
It is Illegal to Park ANY Vehicle that is 6ft or taller within 20 feet of a crosswalk
It is Illegal to park ANY Livery/Taxi/Bus/RV (more than 22 feet long) in ANY residential Neighborhood
It is Illegal to Park Any Vehicle within 30 FEET of a Stop Sign or Corner placed Stop Signal
It is Illegal to Park any type of Truck towed Trailer on ANY Street
It is Illegal to Park any Commercial Truck plated vehicle/Bus/RV on any Business Street if it isn’t a metered space
It is Illegal to Park Any part of your vehicle (while in your Driveway) into the area of the driveway that would be part of the Sidewalk
It is Illegal to Grease/Repair your Vehicle on City Streets (excluding emergency repair needed to make vehicle driveable.)
It is Illegal to leave your Car Unattended while the Engine is on
It is Illegal to park your vehicle to sell merchandise
It is Required on all Illinois plated vehicles that
Plates: Horizontal Positioning at Height of 12″ above the ground is Required, 100% Visibility and Legibility Required, and Tinted Screens Prohibited
It is illegal to have a vehicle with:
Obstructed Windshield, Sidewings, or Side Window or Non-reflective Tint beyond 6″ of the Top of the Windshield during operation
It is Illegal to have a vehicle with:
Non-reflective, Smoked, or Tinted Glass or Film on windshield, sidewings, or side windows while parked or standing
Everyone I just mentioned is some Code that the Department of Revenue PEA’s are Authorized to Enforce.
And lets not forget this one:
Park Truck, Recreation Vehicle more than 22 feet in length, Self-contained Motor Home, Bus, Taxi (except Wards 15 and 46), Livery Vehicle on a Residential Street. Note: Pickup trucks and vans are excepted in Wards 1, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 26, 28, 29, 32, 33, 37, 40, 42, 43, 46, 49, and 50
This is based upon the plate Type:
EG:
Commercial Truck Plates.
RV plates
Taxi plates
Livery Plates
Bus Plates
And on Vehicle type as well
Trucks and Vans.