Maybe I'm hormonal, or have an affinity for old school parking meters that you can lock a bicycle up to, or just lean on, but I felt heavier in spirit on the walk home from the library last night, as I noticed the new, computerized parking boxes that were a hot topic at the evening's Wicker Park SSA #33 meeting, especially since some of the commissioners in attendance own businesses in Wicker Park/Bucktown, which is one of the first neighborhoods to undergo the transition to the new system.
If a business wants to remove a metered spot to create a loading zone it has to pay the private company that runs the meters for 75 years worth of revenue that the space would otherwise yield if it were a pay-to-park spot.
If it's a holiday, or a Sunday afternoon, the boxes don't know the difference. You still pay between the hours of 8 am and 9 pm.
If you prefer to not use a credit card as much as possible, as I do, you still have to swipe your plastic if you plan to park in Wicker Park. The diction at the top left of the box says, "Thank you for parking," and not "Thank you for your business." If you have a car, and need to park, do you have a choice not to park? Can two tons of steel levitate? In 75 years that might be possible....
Though I walk unless I'm running late, I wonder how the boxes will affect tourism, and shoppers, or anyone needing to run a quick errand, and pop into a local store for a few minutes. And, as with every independent shop closing the neighborhood loses a bit more of the bohemia it's known for, I can't imagine the computerized boxes helping Wicker Park preserve its image that differentiates it from other hoods, unless maybe an intrepid artistic group wants to take all the pulled, old school meters, and create a some sort of homage, or "meter graveyard" in Mautene Court, a vacant lot at 1256 -58 N. Milwaukee near Tocco that was until April 6th soliciting RFPs for a temporary installation, though no word yet on what will transpire there. Yoga in the park? Hula hooping? Performance art? Ah, the possibilities...
Link to info on Mautene Court: http://wickerparkbucktownssa.org/?p=443
More on Mautene Court: http://www.summitdb.com/announcements/news-archive/july-2008---selected-general-contractor-for-tocco.aspx
there's a bit more of a discussion on this topic at the windy citizen, and new info pertaining to business owners and loading zones, which will come at great cost by an early estimate. gotta love 25% yearly increases...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.windycitizen.com/chicago/local/2009/04/15/driving-to-wicker-park-dont-forget-your-plastic