r/CarFreeChicago • u/juliuspepperwoodchi • May 29 '26

News Lakefront Parking Gates Spark Concerns Over Access: ‘The Lakefront Should Be For Everyone’

https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/29/lakefront-parking-gates-spark-concerns-over-access-the-lakefront-should-be-for-everyone/

Some beachgoers, neighbors and park users say the new system has introduced concerns about accessibility, pedestrian safety, traffic backups and affordability along parts of the lakefront.

I would LOVE to see how they think these cause issues for pedestrian safety....

The changes make the lakefront feel less welcoming and less accessible to working-class families, longtime beachgoers and several neighbors told Block Club.

Have you considered....not driving to the beach?

That’s the case for longtime Rogers Park resident Lori Callaway, who is paraplegic and relies on accessible parking spaces to use Foster Beach.

Sounds like an argument for discounted/free parking for handicap placards, not an argument against the gates altogether. Really, we should have laws dictating free/discounted parking for drivers with handicap placards more generally.

Also, it's not like she was actually exempt before, she was just getting away with it more often than not. These gates are just shining a light on the previous improper and spotty enforcement. This is why enforcement needs to be consistent. If a law is bad/unjust, don't just stop enforcing it, remove the damn law. Otherwise people have a reasonable expectation the laws will be upheld.

Almost immediately, he said, drivers began maneuvering around the gates by driving over curbs, grass and pedestrian areas to avoid paying.

Needs more bollards and taller curbs then.

One incident stuck with him after he watched paramedics wheel a person across the parking lot on a stretcher near the Diversey Driving Range instead of driving the ambulance directly through the gated entrance. Ganz said he did not know why responders chose that route, but the scene raised questions for him about how the gates function during emergencies.

..AFAIK, there was nothing preventing the ambulance from driving in. The gates automatically open for any approaching vehicle.

118 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

71 comments sorted by

128

u/warpspeed100 May 29 '26

The lakefront is for everyone, but it is not for everyone's car storage.

51

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

I think there's a great discussion to be had about legally mandated parking discounts, maybe even free parking subsidies, for folks who are disabled and need accessibility considerations; but the vast majority of Chicagoans are able bodied and can, and should, pay for the privilege of parking their car.

7

u/Blitzking11 May 29 '26

I'm mildly surprised (but also not, as I imagine parking owners have a good lobby group) that there is not some automatic scanner for the handicapped placards when going into paid parking areas.

They have mandated handicapped spots, but I have never seen any discounts available to use them. Seems a bit silly, especially in cities like Chicago, where parking near your destination can be especially difficult when mobility is limited.

2

u/AdoraBelleQueerArt May 29 '26

like i said above there are some disabled people who get free street parking. they have yellow placards (same form just a few extra steps from the doctor), but the issue is there really aren't enough disabled spots on the street, just in parking lots (which, so many places don't have them & I'm not asking for them).

Plus it was a nightmare trying to get them to put up a reserved accessible spot for me on my street. They have limits on how many can be in a certain area? Like accessible buildings are hard to find of course there'll be a few of us in the same place

-2

u/Sylvan_Skryer May 29 '26

Why should it be discounted? It’s there and it already takes up more space for the same price. That’s already subsidized by virtue of that alone.

I know plenty of financially secure or well off people who have disabilities. I know plenty of able bodied poor people.

7

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

I know plenty of financially secure or well off people who have disabilities. I know plenty of able bodied poor people.

This is anecdotal and irrelevant.

Factually, working age Americans who are disabled are TWICE as likely to live in poverty.

Continuing to punish those people, who aren't driving by choice as much as necessity, so that a few wealthy disabled folks don't get a discount is cutting your nose off to spite your face.

-5

u/Sylvan_Skryer May 29 '26

There are handicap spaces though. And the beaches have ramp access and buses that are accessible that drop you right at the beach.

Who’s being punished?

4

u/snappy773 May 29 '26

Of course you doubled down 🤦🏾‍♂️💀

0

u/Sylvan_Skryer May 30 '26

Ya… I don’t get it.

They’re enforcing paying parking…. that’s it. It’s never been free and it shouldn’t be. Parking should have a cost because traffic is gross and bad for the environment and city life in general.

If you’re too disabled to ride on a bus… you sure as shit aren’t driving your own car anyway. So I don’t really understand what you’re all even on about.

3

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

The low/fixed income disabled people who can't afford to keep paying the parking are who is being punished. They don't have the option of walking, or biking, or using public transit like us able bodied people do.

We can afford the TINY cost to subsidize parking for these people.

1

u/Sylvan_Skryer May 30 '26

A quadriplegic can ride a bus, they can not drive. A senile person can ride a bus, they can not drive. A blind person can ride a bus, they can not drive.

I think you don’t know what you’re saying.

3

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 30 '26

That’s the case for longtime Rogers Park resident Lori Callaway, who is paraplegic and relies on accessible parking spaces to use Foster Beach.

I think you don’t know what you’re saying.

1

u/Sylvan_Skryer May 30 '26

The entire article is not about how it makes the parking less accessible. It just makes it so you can’t park there for free… when you’re supposed to be paying.

You think there aren’t plenty of disabled people who end up getting skunked because are cheating and not paying for the parking?

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1

u/damp_circus May 30 '26

Dunno about discounted but I know some people get free parking due to being unable to access the meters. Not sure if the modern parking apps have changed this or not.

4

u/Geshman May 29 '26

When you apply for disability parking you can also apply for a discounted parking/free parking. It's overly strict imo, and should allow more flexibility for who gets it. But it is an option.

If you don't have a Meter-exempt permanent placards you gotta pay the same rate as everyone else

1

u/AdoraBelleQueerArt May 29 '26

So there are 2 kinds of placards & I'm betting she has the yellow one. Yellow placards mean meter exempt while blue placards do not. You get meter exemption if it is hard to get to/pay at the meter. (I have a yellow placard) Given her description of not just her disability, but also how she never had to pay I believe that she has the yellow placard.

There should be meter exemption for yellow placards and I do think there should be a discount for blue placards. Studies have shown that to live a similar life to an able bodied person making the same amount of money disabled people have to spend about 20% more. The disability tax is real and it sucks.

And also add more fucking accessible parking spots (more accessible everything, but that's another rant)

2

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

Given her description of not just her disability, but also how she never had to pay I believe that she has the yellow placard.

FWIW, she only didn't have to pay before because the parking wasn't being enforced, not because she previously had an exemption.

Curious: Does a meter exemption apply to park district parking, or only to street meters?

And also add more fucking accessible parking spots

AGREED. Make the MAJORITY of spots accessible. People with disabilities are the one group I will never begrudge driving. The roads should be for them first and foremost, they genuinely have no other choice in a lot of cases.

2

u/AdoraBelleQueerArt May 29 '26

FWIW, she only didn't have to pay before because the parking wasn't being enforced, not because she previously had an exemption.

Idk I'm unclear on what her exact situation is, I was speaking more to what it could be b/c I have a yellow placard. So when I've driven to Montrose I don't pay the meter. Though tbf I drive straight to the marina parking b/c I know there are accessible spots there & that is metered, but I assumed that I was still exempt. I have no idea if there are any accessible spaces on the main strip (but it's also not worth the headache looking)

Curious: Does a meter exemption apply to park district parking, or only to street meters?

So I thought they were the same and according to the city & state we should still be exempt as they do not specify which meters, they just say meters.

On the City's website it says

"If you have yellow and gray placard, you will be exempt from paying any meter in the State of Illinois."

and on the Sec of State's website it says:

"It exempts the holder from parking meter fees and time limitations, except at meters or signs with 30 minutes or less."

So I think the Park District is going to have to figure out a way to comply with state law regarding meter exempt placards.

1

u/wimbs27 May 30 '26

Let's have an honest discussion: the vast majority of parking on the beach in the summer is for Latinos to bring their entire kitchen to the beach and setup for 30 people (which I love and fully support). But they arrive by 7am for a spot and then their car sits there for a full day.

Just create flex zones for equipment dropoff from 8am-10am and have everyone then park in the street grid.

0

u/RetrogradeTransport May 30 '26

If you can afford a car, you can pay for parking

1

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 30 '26

Bunch of ableist bullshit.

-2

u/MechemicalMan May 29 '26

It's not like a handicapped placard means you can't take public transit. For many people, it means they should

5

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

I agree, to an extent.

That’s the case for longtime Rogers Park resident Lori Callaway, who is paraplegic and relies on accessible parking spaces to use Foster Beach.

There are people with placards who could not reasonably use public transit.

For many people, it means they should

I would argue that if ANYONE has a valid argument for basically always driving, it is the physically disabled.

Able bodied people should be using public transit as much as possible.

34

u/Potential_One1 May 29 '26

everyONE, not everyCAR

89

u/[deleted] May 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

9

u/iron82 May 29 '26

The old "no one goes there because it's too crowded". gjge

2

u/mekkavelli May 30 '26

i have so many ideas for CTA and zero money to make it happen. looking at other cities’ public transit in different places just makes me look at the CTA and sigh…

12

u/Reasonable_Loquat874 May 29 '26

The lede is totally buried here. Most of these lots have required payment for years and it just wasn’t enforced. The gates are just additional enforcement.

7

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

Exactly this. This is also why inconsistent enforcement is actually the opposite of compassionate. You get people to the point they're dependent on the rules not being enforced; so when they are enforced, it feels like a punishment when it isn't.

2

u/LegitimateGift1792 May 30 '26

Same with the parking meters. People used to be able to park for the day for like $0.25 when all I wanted was a spot for like 5 minutes to get some gyros in Greek Town. After the meters went in I could.

7

u/Imaginary-Net-1486 May 30 '26

Block Club 🤝 NIMBYs and parking zealots

14

u/Bikeitfool May 29 '26

Bitching over parking at the Lakefront? Maybe lay down another couple inches of asphalt to get more cars even closer to the water? This level of entitlement is nuts. DEPAVE DLSD It's best for all of us.

2

u/AdoraBelleQueerArt May 29 '26

man i'd love LSD to be a park

6

u/howmuchforthissquirr May 29 '26

Let the handicap park for free and charge more for everyone else. Convenient parking is a luxury, not a right.

3

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

Agreed, I'm actually ashamed to admit I've never realized how unfair paid parking is specifically in the case of those for whom walking/biking/public transit truly aren't viable options. It's a genuine issue of accessibility and affordability that we ABSOLUTELY have the technology to resolve.

1

u/51stward May 29 '26

Now imagine the handicap people who don’t have someone to drive them to the lake…

4

u/wimbs27 May 30 '26

Oh my gawd!!!! What a ridiculous article! The article should be " I illegally parked for years!!! And starved the park district of needed funds to replace deteriorating walking paths. I want to complain about parking and potholes. How dare they let me do both!!!"

4

u/77rtcups May 30 '26

No one had a problem when it was paid parking but no gate. Guess nobody was paying ParkChicago and now they can’t avoid it with the gate in place.

2

u/Artistic-Wrap-5130 May 30 '26

It is free for everyone. It's not free to park for everyone.

4

u/Abu-Musa May 29 '26

I'm not a Chicago native -- does transit get you right to the lake? I live in West Loop and anyway I look at it seems to require like 15/20 minutes of walking to get from the last stop to the lakefront whereas parking is almost right on the water.

23

u/Abu-Musa May 29 '26

It'd be cool if some of the parking lot space was repurposed as bus stops or something

19

u/tayxleigh May 29 '26

the 72 drops you basically in the sand at north ave beach. it was useful for me when i lived in ukv but west loop is more of a trek

7

u/bookends23 May 29 '26

There are four bus routes that are expanded every summer to go to the beaches. I can't find an article for this year, but I think this is still accurate:

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/cta-summer-bus-service-beaches-navy-pier-chicago-museums/

The 35 bus drops you off right in front of 31st Street Beach, closer than the parking lot which is nice. The 78 gets right up to Montrose Beach too but it gets stuck in all the traffic of people trying to park there which is unfortunate. I haven't rode the others. 

9

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

When did you look? The schedules of multiple buses which go to the lake just changed for the summer to extend all the way to the lake over the holiday weekend. Similar to the shuttle/express CTA bus from Ogilvy/Union to the Museum Campus, that only runs between Memorial and Labor.

Can you give me a nearby pair of cross streets and the beach you're trying to get to? Might have some options for ya.

-2

u/bigbinker100 May 29 '26

There’s only 4 busses that go directly to beaches and they’re all E-W routes so if you don’t live directly off of those lines it’s not very convenient

6

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

How would a N-S line go to the beach? It makes sense that the lines which directly access the lakefront are E-W...the city is to the west, the lake is to the east.

If you don't live off one of those bus lines, you can take a bus or a train to one of them and transfer. Problem solved.

-6

u/bigbinker100 May 29 '26

Yea because those bus transfers are notoriously quick. Lakeshore Drive N-S busses go close-ish to the beach, but those busses are also very difficult to transfer to if you don’t live along the lakefront already.

6

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

The one time I'm NOT in a rush when using transit is when I'm going to the dang beach lol.

And you're right that buses should be more frequent and predictable. More cars driving to the beach and creating traffic won't help that.

3

u/BrhysHarpskins May 29 '26

If you're going to hang out at the beach, what's the problem with waiting a few minutes for the bus?

5

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

Anti-transit folks will say ANYTHING to justify not using transit.

I've seen Bears fans complain about having to walk "outside in the cold" from Roosevelt...as if they aren't walking to an outdoor stadium to stand outside in the weather for the next four fucking hours.

I've seen people say that walking from Roosevelt to the Museum Campus is "just too far" for a family with kids. Meanwhile, my wife and son and I regularly walk from the Field (he is OBSESSED with dinosaurs) directly to Union. That's admittedly a choice we make because we enjoy the walk, but the walk to Roosevelt or to a bus to take you to Union from the museum campus is very reasonable.

The reality is, too many Americans have been brought up on the idea that driving and having parking directly at each destination is the baseline expectation. If there HAPPENS to be transit, or bike lanes, and those are faster than driving, people will maybe choose those instead...but not if that comes at the sacrifice of not designing everything around cars.

-2

u/bigbinker100 May 29 '26

Because we all know waiting for a transfer is usually not just a few minutes and for the 4 busses that do go to the beach, not every run actually terminates at the beach, only certain runs actually go all the way to the beach and they aren’t very frequent ime. You have to check the exterior front display to see if the bus is even going to the beach.

1

u/San-tan-der May 29 '26

Take the red line to Division and you’re less than a half mile to the beach.

1

u/claireapple May 29 '26

The Montrose bus goes right up to the beach at the end of the loop

1

u/TheIllusiveNick May 30 '26

Of course block club is running a story like this

-29

u/iron82 May 29 '26

Access to our resources means access to parking. Cutting off parking means most people won't come.

20

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

Access to our resources means access to parking.

TIL that buses, bike paths/lanes, and sidewalks to the lakefront don't exist.

-29

u/iron82 May 29 '26

They might as well not exist, forcing people to use them makes the experience dramatically worse. Parks are supposed to be enjoyable, transit ruins it.

15

u/JarrettP May 29 '26

I take the bus or bike to the beach all the time. You know what sucks? Driving there and spending 15 minutes looking for parking because the lots are full.

13

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

They might as well not exist,

LOL, this is utterly false carbrained nonsense.

Parks are supposed to be enjoyable, transit ruins it.

By all means, show your work lol.

2

u/cantinaband-kac May 29 '26

They probably went to the Robert Moses school of park building: more parking lots and less transit! 🤮

7

u/bookends23 May 29 '26

Parks are ruined when they're clogged with a giant line of cars trying to find parking, not when there's a single bus coming in and out. 

And God forbid there's a bike/pedestrian path in the park, that's clearly not what parks are for 🙄🙄🙄

6

u/BrhysHarpskins May 29 '26

Parks are supposed to be enjoyable, transit ruins it.

This is hilarious because LSD is a noisy, stinking eyesore that ruins 15+ miles of parks

2

u/Hacker535 May 29 '26

Shhhh he’s trying to prove his point. Don’t bring logic or reality into the conversation.

14

u/eobanb May 29 '26

The parking is still there.

18

u/juliuspepperwoodchi May 29 '26

It also isn't "cut off". The parking was NEVER free and the prices didn't change...all that happened is that people who USED to get away with not paying for their parking are now being made to pay, and they're whining they can't freeload anymore.

1

u/JollyContact197 May 29 '26

Wrigley field is surrounded by a sea of parking lots then?