PT BLOG I have checked withmy sources in theWindy City, and they tell
me that the truth is a resounding “not quite.” First of all, the Wicker Park demonstration mentioned in the
article was not very large. My understanding is that there were moremedia there than demonstrators (it’s possible the entire demon- stration was pictured in the article). Second, theMayor has not said, either during his campaign or
since his election, that he would unwind the parking contract, only that he will have someone look into it. I’malso told that 24 out of the 25 Chambers of Commerce in the
areas affected by the parking program are in favor of the new equip- ment and new rates. Their attitudes seem to be: The parking rates and enforcement get employees off the streets and open up spaces for customers.Well, duh. The rates in Chicago needed to be raised. The political will did
not exist for the city to do it. By leasing out the parking system, a private firm was able to raise the rates, take the political hits, and be able to generate the revenue that the asset should be generating. Chicago has been the test bed for PPP (public-private partner-
ship) activity. There is a learning curve. All things considered, and when you think of what could have gone wrong, it’s been a spectac- ular success. Did Chicago cut a bad deal? That remains to be seen. In gener-
al, should cities sell off their revenue-generating assets? That con- versation is for another time. However, the issues involved in putting the collection and
enforcement activities in private hands in a major city, installing 4,000 pay-and-display machines, and dealing with all the resulting hiccups and problems seem to have gone smoothly. I’ll keep my eye on it – watch this space.
JVH You could have read these entries when they were originally
posted at Parking Today’s Blog – and commented, if you liked – by logging on to
www.parkingtoday.com and clicking on “blog.” JVH updates the blog almost every day.
PT
three weeks early at
parkingtoday.com
See PT
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