Monthly parking passes return at the Emmett Street lot

Since January 1 of this year and the advent and implementation of the parking meter lease deal in Chicago, monthly parking passes have not been available for the Emmett Street parking lot near the Logan Square “el” station (also see, Is there a parking problem?) .  On January 2, I even saw parking tickets on the car share cars parked in the lot, though that kink appears to have been worked out quickly enough.

As of August 1 though, monthly passes are back.

Monthly Parking Notice at the
Logan Square/Emmett St. Lot

The Urbanophile rewarded for transit ideas

You may remember my writing earlier this month in Standing room only that I had met with a couple of other bloggers, including Aaron Renn, The Urbanophile (see Blogroll in right column).

I’d say I was keeping good company.  Aaron Renn has just won a $5,000 prize from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce for his ideas about how to increase transit use.  The Chicago Tribune reported on it, but I direct you over to The Urbanophile’s own post: The Urbanophile Wins Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Transit Innovation Competition, where you can find more Chicago and transit related posts.

Aaron’s ideas may appeal to Peopling Places readers for their urban focus.  Read the winning entry and three honorable mentions in their entirety at InnovateNow.

Blue Line photo by reallyboring on Flickr.

Parking: a game of musical chairs

Previously, in Is there a parking problem?, I stated that there was no need for more parking. We could, however, better manage the parking spaces we do have and change some of the parking restrictions and enforcements.

Musical chairs

Efficient use of parking would operate like a game of musical chairs where the optimum would be to have not quite enough chairs/parking spaces, otherwise there is no game/nobody wants to come to a place that lacks sufficient attractions (those land uses that are in competition with parking), real or perceived, to draw players/parkers.

2600 block of Milwaukee Avenue

Again, I conducted a parking survey of the short 2600 block of Milwaukee Avenue at three-hour intervals from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on a weekday in February.

There are 21 two-hour limit metered spaces from 8:00 a.m. to
9:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday at a rate of 25 cents per hour,

Is there a parking problem?

No need for more parking

Last week I listened to yet another Milwaukee Avenue business owner lament the lack of parking along Milwaukee Avenue.  But this stretch of Milwaukee Avenue between Logan Boulevard and Diversey Avenue does not need more parking.

Merchants often take the view that shopper inconvenience due to parking is a significant factor in keeping shoppers away. But more parking would be counterproductive to merchant interests.

More parking means less space devoted to attractions that bring people to the street for a purpose.  More parking means more open vacuous spaces that present a perceived barrier to pedestrian activity.  If all, or most of what the eye can see is empty space, why would you want to walk there?  It’s not green and inviting;  they paved this paradise a long time ago.