Sundays were free.
No one had to feed meters on Sunday in Chicago before 2009.
That was until parking meter privatization came along.
Now, parking meters have to be fed every day of the year and it’s really messing with some Chicago church goers according to the Chicago Tribune.
The Trib samples churches from all over the city to see how each was dealing with the parking meter issue.
Some churches already had ample parking lots, others have negotiated deals with nearby parking lots, and some houses of worship surrounded by meters are praying for the city to step in and help.
Several pastors in the piece feel the city should allow church goers free parking on Sundays.
The idea, while perhaps attractive on a very theoretical level, is untenable in practice. How would you determine who’s attending church and who’s not? And why should church goers get special privileges over non religious motorists?
In addition, all the clergy quoted in the story as well as the article’s author, miss one very salient fact.
Any time Chicago would make a special arrangement to allow meters not to be paid on Sundays near churches, the city, per the meter lease agreement, would have to come out of pocket and pay Chicago Parking Meters, LLC for lost revenue at the effected metered spots. A situation which could quickly add up to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars a year being paid to the lessee.
It’s easy to understand the frustration of these pastors and church members. Most likely, the extra money congregants are paying to park at the parking meters, is money not making it into the collection baskets at services.
But, outside an honest to God miracle, I wouldn’t bet on seeing any parking meter relief for city churches.
Make sure you read the entire story, “Some churches seek reprieve on paying for parking,” for all the details.
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Even Toronto, a city with worse and more expensive parking regulations than NYC, allows free parking on Sundays until 1pm…
Yet another reason why it’s getting more difficult to live in Chicago…
Looks like the most prolific sinners will have to spend more on parking meters since their confessions will take longer. The meter company unlike the churches doesn’t have a religous symbol on the roof of their corporate headquarters, “no charity”.
Sounds like the city’s meter deal is like the health care bill, nobody read it first before it was passed! A 24 hour meter should be put in Daley’s home driveway so he get’s a taste of tyranny.
Why do we need more than 1000 “churches” in this city?
I’m serious:
Apostolic Churches (51) Lutheran Churches (230)
Assembly of God (30) Mennonite Churches (9)
Baptist Churches (681) Messianic Churches (0)
Bible Churches (41) Methodist Churches (160)
Brethren Churches (0) Nazarene Churches (27)
Calvary Chapel (5) Non-Denominational (173)
Catholic Churches (174) Orthodox Churches (50)
Christian Churches (107) Pentecostal (69)
Church of Christ (109) Presbyterian (112)
Church of God (259) Reformed Churches (7)
Congregational (14) Seventh Day Adventist (37)
Episcopal Churches (63) Vineyard Churches (5)
Evangelical (75) Other Churches (180)
A good number of these are in neighborhoods that don’t have meters.
I have a feeling the ‘pastors’ that are whining are of the “Storefront” variety.
And in regards to “Free for Church Goers”…
Whose to say people wouldn’t ‘dummy up’ signs to avoid meters and then not go to church?
They can’t make an exception for church goers. Really, they can’t. What about people going to movies that are exactly two hours long? What about people attending community events or musical performances? What about people *volunteering* somewhere that requires more than two hours of time?
Maybe they can implement a system where everyone, regardless of religious affiliation, gets a few “3 hour” or “4 hour” tokens per month/year/whatever, to use as they see fit. I doubt this is technically feasible, though.
They’re just going to have to deal with it, the same way the entire secular population of the city does. Either find a way to slip out and move your car/re-feed the meter, take public transit, or bike/walk.
Yes, asking the public to pay on Sundays is terrible ( but no more terrible than any of the other terrible end user ramifications of the meter deal). But… It simply doesn’t seem right that the church wants an exception to the rule – but then again why am i surprised? The church is always asking for an exception to something… What about separation of Church and State?
This is just more racism from the City. They will enforce parking restrictions at the meters but drive around any south or west side church and you will find cars parked at bus stops, medians, fire hydrants, crosswalks and so on. What you won’t find is one ticket written. The aldermen in these areas depend on the churchgoers for votes and as such will order the police not to write tickets in these areas. Any tickets written will be non-suited.
While I’m all for free parking on Sundays (or any days), churches crying “FOUL!” over the meters is idiotic . . . they already enjoy a tax-exempt status that’s second to none.
The new meters issue paper receipts,don’t they? What’s to keep worshippers/motorists from turning those in at tax time in the same way they would do other charitable donations/church offerings/tithes?
This goes back to the question, if there is a church on a residential block and the citizens are parking in a residential permit parking area do we not ticket them? They should be ticketed as they should be ticketed at a meter. If you do not want to get ticketed do not park there. Let the pastors handle the politics of the meters in front of their parishes.
If they are illegally Parked, I don’t care if they are in Starbucks or in Mosque/Church/Temple.
I’ve told my bosses that I will not void anything that is Legally and Validly Issued.
Let Bea Hicky and Darst Deal with the ramifications of 5th floor stupidity.
FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS
City Employees, as private citizens, are permitted to express their personal opinions under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. City employees will not be investigated, prosecuted, interfered with or harassed as punishment or retaliation for engaging in conduct protected by the First Amendment.
This can be found on page 16, Cornerstone # 2 as issued by the Office of Compliance.
Screw the churches. They already get off easy by paying no taxes. They should pay taxes like any other business. Churches are in the business of selling a fantasy of an afterlife to the gullible. They literally exploit the gullible, the ultimate business plan.
Wow! Anonymous, you’ve completely upended my lifetime of Catholicism in just two sentences.
I will see you at the Ethical Humanism meeting next Sunday.
I happen to agree with Anonymous…even though I am Catholic.
Religion is a big business.
Look at the cover ups by the RCC with regards to Sexual Abuses by Priests.
Pope Ratzinger is lucky I’m not the US Attorney General. He steps off his tax-free corporate plane onto the tarmac, and he gets the dreaded double-click of handcuffs. RICO laws, anyone? It worked for Manuel Noriega, Colombia’s president! (and Saddam Hussein) Fun note about Noriega: The Feds used an 1800s Cavalry Act that allows Feds to bust people outside USA-owned turf!