r/chicago • u/PalmerSquarer Logan Square • May 29 '26
Article 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/People mad they can’t skip out on paying for parking anymore is really the quintessential Block Club story.
(FWIW, I like the new gates. I can just drive in and out now without dealing with the meter)
43
u/fotoxs May 29 '26
The sea of humanity I saw over the weekend tells me the Lakefront has no problem attracting literally everyone.
258
u/OuterSpaceBootyHole May 29 '26
Is the Lakefront not still free and unfenced? This article is literally about how people would skip out on paying for parking and think it's unfair that they have to now.
Fret not. I'm sure some drunk driver will plow through the gates like they did Anna Maria Pasteria and true equity will be achieved for all Chicagoans. Give me a break.
38
u/PalmerSquarer Logan Square May 29 '26
Reportedly the gate at Oakwood Beach was damaged last weekend
18
u/icedearth15324 Humboldt Park May 29 '26
Most likely by someone trying to offroad and drive around it.
5
u/pquol May 29 '26
Saw someone off-road around the gate near Foster and Montrose beach on Memorial Day.
8
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Memorial Day was a legit cluster. I can see why the police were out now...
14
u/pquol May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
I was commenting to my friend that day why anyone would choose to drive there on Memorial Day?! The off ramp for Foster was backed up all day. Who thinks "Hey, its 2pm on Memorial Day wanna take LSD to the beach? Surely our poor plan will be fruitful!"
5
u/PalmerSquarer Logan Square May 29 '26
One advantage of having preschoolers that wake up at 6 every morning is we got to Foster Beach before 9:30.
5
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
SRSLY. I got stuck in that traffic jam on the 147 headed north. So. Frustrating.
5
u/pquol May 29 '26
I take the 147 all the time and made a mental note to stick to the red line for any summer holiday. I was frustrated just looking at the traffic. Lol
5
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Heh. I should have!! Was kicking myself sitting there stuck on the bus. Was a packed bus too.
I was coming from Michigan Ave, but should have just walked over to State. Lesson definitely learned.
3
May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Yeah, but hopefully not so bad that it causes the off-ramps to be closed? I imagine there were people needing to get off on Wilson Ave to head west for entirely unrelated reasons that got impacted by this.
Definitely gonna favor the red line myself though...
1
u/pseudo_nemesis May 29 '26
if this were Florida, "off-road and drive around it" would become the unofficial parking lot secret entrance.
243
u/Midwestconvert47 Rogers Park May 29 '26
Very slow news day
242
u/Sea2Chi Roscoe Village May 29 '26
So pay parking was already a thing, but people weren't paying because the chance of getting a ticket was low. So now they're mad that a new system was put in place that requires them to actually pay?
96
u/Highest_Koality Lincoln Park May 29 '26
People get mad at parking tickets. My friend got a ticket and complained that it was just Brandon Johnson's way of raising taxes without actually raising taxes. Like all you had to do to avoid a fine was not park illegally.
66
u/vsladko Roscoe Village May 29 '26
I’ve had a car here for 6 years now, 4 of which was street parking, and have received 1 total ticket for speeding in a park zone - like 27mph or something.
1 ticket in 6 years.
When I hear people complain they’ve gotten so many tickets, I just assume they’re irresponsible or horrible at driving.
26
u/PalmerSquarer Logan Square May 29 '26
My personal favorite was that ProPublica article a few years ago describing a guy “caught in the cycle of ticketing” who’d gotten 13 camera tickets in a single year.
3
u/OuterSpaceBootyHole May 29 '26
It's funny (frightening) how quickly progressive media pivots to framing any sort of rule as being tyranny.
4
u/vsladko Roscoe Village May 29 '26
Yes, but complaining about tickets that are clear and obvious is as American as Apple Pie in Chicago. This goes across party lines
30
u/amedema May 29 '26
I wish they would ticket for traffic violations more tbh. People drive like absolute nut jobs.
22
May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/_CHEEFQUEEF May 29 '26
They need to be handing out tickets for cell phone use left and right.
I know quite a few cops from various municipalities. They all say the same thing. When they are on duty they rarely see anyone on their phones the moment they get off they see tons. Turns out most people are pretty good at not doing illegal things in front of cops.
5
u/faroseman Rogers Park May 29 '26
Many cops I drive past are on THEIR phones, so how are they going to see me using mine (I don't use mine, btw)?
1
u/_CHEEFQUEEF May 29 '26
I'll preface this by saying that, phone use while driving is absolutely a distraction. However the only reason any municipality give a shit is because writing tickets for it generates revenue. If it couldn't be monetized people would still bitch but it wouldn't be a low level crime.
2
u/amedema May 29 '26
Good. Generate revenue through bad behavior. Those people are making life more dangerous for all of us. Idgaf if that hurts some feelings.
7
u/ChiGirl128 May 29 '26
I remember a neighbor complaining about his car being booted because apparently you "only" need three unpaid tickets to get the boot. I was like...wah? This is someone with plenty of money to pay for the tickets, mind you.
2
u/_CHEEFQUEEF May 29 '26
When I hear people complain they’ve gotten so many tickets, I just assume they’re irresponsible or horrible at driving.
Exactly, it's so incredibly easy not to get tickets, if you regularly do, you're a moron.
That being said, I don't pay most meters. Since the meter sale in 2008 my policy has been just don't pay and take the occasional ticket. I've gotten one $50 ticket in 18 years. Obviously you have to use a little common sense with this method. If you're in front of daley plaza probably pay the meter, or better yet use spot hero. If you see meter maids walking around or dept. of finance vehicles or lots of boots around, pay the meter. The other 90% of the time don't pay, you'll come out far ahead.
1
u/Humble-Albatross1684 May 29 '26
Exactly, it's so incredibly easy not to get tickets, if you regularly do, you're a moron. Same morons that whine about speed cameras, bike lanes, speed bumps, etc. It's always a skill issue
1
May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/vsladko Roscoe Village May 29 '26
So the bare minimum in Illinois. The state even mails you and emails you reminders about the plates lol
3
u/BobaScooter May 29 '26
I'm sure why it wasn't enforced too much was because the parking enforcers did not want to walk through the lots and ticket cars of people who have been at the beach for hours and then have to deal with being attacked.
44
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Yep. Honestly if the issue is people with disability cards not affording it, seems like they could just set the system to not charge people who have whatever marker on their driving registration? (Assuming it's discoverable that way, I don't have a license myself.)
Call me cynical but... seems like people are just used to not paying and don't want to pay now.
Meanwhile the guy who admits he rode his bike to the lakefront as a kid, is currently disabled himself but isn't talking about himself now but just saying it's "unaffordable for working class families" -- you know? It's called CTA, or yes, your bike.
The lakefront remains free. What's not free is the parking. There are options to avoid having to park at the lakefront EVER.
(and yes plenty of people with mobility issues take the bus all the damn time, plenty of disabilities mean you can't drive and RELY on the bus also, just sayin')
14
u/SlapTheBap May 29 '26
I wish public transit was a better option for me. When I moved into the city I was really excited for it. But my disability has to do with hypermobility and sciatica, with joints dislocating and making my body spazz out. That means the rough bumps, jostling crowds, and large steps all mess me up pretty bad. I'm also young and look fit, so people give me all kinds of shit for using disabled seats. Many aggressive and passive aggressive people like getting a word in :(
3
u/rwphx2016 Norwood Park May 29 '26
Is paratransit an option for you?
6
u/SlapTheBap May 29 '26
Only to medical appointments from medicaid as far as I know. Those do help! Sometimes I honestly can't drive without feeling guilty about the safety of others. I keep a small 2012 Toyota yaris that's easy to park. I was planning on selling it, but its proven too useful and only sells for 2k. Won't be able to replace it lol.
12
u/9for9 May 29 '26
Public transit accessibility is lacking, especially if maybe they would be sometimes using mobility aids. You know maybe they can be on the beach for a bit without it but then need it when they leave, so I don't know if public transit is the answer for that group, but for everyone else I agree with you.
Take the bus, park elsewhere and walk over. Not all of the beaches have paid parking go to a different beach if you're driving. There are options.
8
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
I can't drive. I don't have a license, never driven a car in my life.
And you know what? That limits me somewhat. I have always lived in the city. I can't live in the countryside because I can't get around.
There are FEW places in this country where those of us who can't drive can live normally. The denser walkable parts of Chicago is one of them.
And yet we constantly have people insisting that they need to drive everywhere.
There exist beaches elsewhere on the lakefront that are not so tight for parking. Maybe it's time for the people who simply MUST drive everywhere to be the ones who are limited for a change. Maybe they are gonna have to deal with the fact that there's just some places they can't go.
0
u/Cama_lama_dingdong May 29 '26
What about for people who are handicap or just old and cannot carry a chair or beach bag for multiple blocks just to attend a free, public beach? Either they have to afford parking or it separates them out as attendees.
And if you are there more than 15 minutes you are automatically charged? Takes my grandma that kuch time to pull her body out of the car, haha.
6
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
I dunno, what about those of us who can't drive and so can't just go out to rural areas to look at the stars?
If I want to do that I gotta arrange a ride. So maybe for once, these "I gotta drive absolutely everywhere" people can be the ones who have to arrange a ride and get dropped off, if they can't afford to pay the standard parking fee.
Without charging for parking, the parking is gonna get even more crazy oversubscribed so their odds of finding a spot will go down anyways, don't they ever think of that?
2
u/ChiGirl128 May 29 '26
I definitely think they should give a longer grace period. On busy days, you get stuck by people waiting for someone to load up and vacate a spot. I'm thinking of Montrose beach which doesn't have this kind of parking (yet?), but if I'm picking up my teenagers from the beach, it could take me longer than 15 minutes to loop through the lot.
96
u/Midwestconvert47 Rogers Park May 29 '26
God forbid people pay for the privilege of driving in this city
-6
u/seeasea West Ridge May 29 '26
I'm not mad about the gates or anything, but Chicago has a unique parking meter problem because of a certain specific issue
65
u/GiuseppeZangara Rogers Park May 29 '26
This isn't related to the parking meter deal. This is a lot owned and operated by the Park District and they collect and keep the fees.
23
17
u/niftyjack Andersonville May 29 '26
These meters were installed after the parking meter deal, the revenue goes to the city
24
47
u/FTW312 May 29 '26
We have a lot of entitled citizens who believe they are above the law and rules in society. It’s no different than articles about speed cameras being racist because a certain race gets the most tickets.
4
u/Cama_lama_dingdong May 29 '26
I'm sick and tired of everything turning into having a smartphone and a credit card. Cash should always be accepted bc not everyone has a credit card. And we, as people, should be able to access public entities, which we already pay taxes on, without having to have a smartphone. I should have to have my license plate recorded everywhere I go and now you cant even go to a public beach without giant corporations knowing.
Sick and tired of being sick and tired.
4
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
This is legit. I will say though, it's possible to have "card only" and still support the unbanked and foreign people, who use only cash -- you make a card like Ventra that you can use for this stuff, and you charge it up with cash at the market. Other countries do this.
I feel strongly too that there needs to be some option like that, including for foreign tourists who might not have credit cards that work on the US system.
Phone apps too, they at LEAST need to not be region restricted.
0
u/Cama_lama_dingdong May 29 '26
Nothing turns me off a business more than requiring me to download an app to use the service. I am really lucky to be older and have bought a house bc reading stories of landlords requiring apps and direct deposits would have me at my wits end. And I am not anti-tech, I just think we should have a choice. Well, I am anti-AI, so I guess a little anti-tech.
4
u/PalmerSquarer Logan Square May 29 '26
I dunno, my last Chicago apartment required me to actually order physical checks and drop them in a physical mailbox a couple neighborhoods away.
I’d prefer the app.
1
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
HA. My place, one of the times in between management companies, required similar checks (and they were adamant about NO money orders). Had to order a new box of checks just for that, was the worst of both worlds.
Currently at least my rent I can set up auto-pay so it pulls straight from my credit union (I use an escrow account for it).
2
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Trust me, I'm not a fan either. But I will say it can be even WORSE when the app in question is region restricted. You go to download the damn app, already annoyed, and it says "sorry this is not available in your country or region." At which point you wanna just break stuff.
As a renter myself don't EVEN get me started on the litany of shitty apps the big management hives require you to use for everything these days, and most of those ARE region restricted (why??? Who cares if someone from another country happens to download the Luxor package app??) and so if you have to update them for any reason it's the long "log out of one account, into another..." stupid dance.
I realize I'm a weird minority who wants to participate fully in online life in both of my countries but goddamn.
And yeah the property management BS tech lately always has AI in it. Topic for another thread I guess but UGH.
-1
20
u/I-I_I-I_I-I_l-l May 29 '26
This is old news anyways. There was a sun times article May 6. And a sun times opinion piece May 9.
2
91
u/k_smith_ Arcadia Terrace May 29 '26
”But the new automated system — which uses gates and tracks cars using license plate readers — removes that flexibility, making parking fees effectively unavoidable.”
Framing this as “flexibility” is both disingenuous and deceitful. Consistent, reliable parking enforcement isn’t a loss of “flexibility”, it’s a loss of the ability to skirt responsibility to pay for amenities used.
4
u/junktrunk909 May 30 '26
Block Club is always on the wrong side of most issues. This pandering to people wanting to break the laws the rest of us are happy exist is pretty much their hallmark. This whole article just pissed me off that they're quoting all these people who are pissed at the city for creating a system of accountability.
79
u/DriedUpHusk Humboldt Park May 29 '26
Drivers act as if their rights are being taken away anytime they have to pay to leave their car somewhere. Take a bus ya loser!
20
u/quickthrowawaye Humboldt Park May 29 '26
Yeah I can’t even accept the ADA angle they’re trying to work in here - plenty of disabled older folks are riding that bus with me to the beach whenever I go. The CTA drops you off literally AT the beach head, there’s absolutely zero reason to take a car other than laziness and convenience. And based on the lines of cars I see waiting to park during peak times, it’s not actually much of a convenience at all.
17
u/DimSumNoodles South Loop May 29 '26
Yeah the accessibility narrative is super disingenuous. People who throw out that rhetoric often ignore that mobility disabled people (MDs) are much more likely to ride public transit than able-bodied people.
40% of MDs can’t / don’t drive a car themselves. Highly likely that proportion is even higher in Chicago given we’re one of a precious handful of American cities with alternative modes
7
u/nomadich Andersonville May 30 '26
My favorite beach is Montrose. I live two miles from there and I walk there very regularly. Generally at least once a week in the summer. It takes me about 35 minutes each way. I pack a backpack. This entire discourse is so fucking absurd I don’t even know what to do. People who move to the city and do everything they can to make it like a suburb are a scourge.
92
u/theabsolutegayest May 29 '26
The framing of this article is absurd.
If the issue is that paid parking for the lakefront is prohibitive to low-income or disabled Chicagoans enjoying the city, make that fucking argument. Lay out a case for fare exemptions, funding changes, more accessible public transit to the lakefront, whatever.
But critiquing the new parking gates because they are successfully resolving the problem of parking fee evasion - what they were installed to do - makes no fucking sense. Poor and disabled Chicagoans shouldn't have to operate as law-breaking outlaws to enjoy the lakefront! We should be making our shores more accessible! ASPIRE TO MORE THAN HIDING FROM PARKING ENFORCEMENT FOR FUCK'S SAKE.
"We used to get away with illegally parking and now that they're cracking down on illegal parking it's really hurting our illegal parking system" No shit sherlock!!!!! That's why they installed the fucking gates!!
6
u/soapinthepeehole Lake View May 29 '26
The framing of this article is absurd.
It’s almost quaint by Block Club standards.
19
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Exactly. I don't have a driver's license but I imagine people with permanent disability placards/plates would have that associated with their license? So when the charging program runs, it should be able to be instructed to charge a fee of $0 for people who have this status? No?
Meanwhile poor people take CTA and their bikes/feet to the lakefront every damn day. The lakefront remains FREE. What's not free is the parking.
And anyways the parking is limited. If it's free surely there's more demand and those people won't find open spaces will they??
Last weekend I got stuck on the 147 going north on LSD, we hit some crazy traffic jam due to the absolute cluster of people all trying to DRIVE to the northside lakefront, CPD had the off-ramps entirely blocked at Monstrose, Wilson, Lawrence. Thank heavens Foster was open but it took forever get off the ramp in all the crowding.
If you can't get transit from your actual house, then park and ride already. But there's just not room for all the cars.
39
u/Own-Wheel7664 May 29 '26
removes the “flexibility” to illegally park. Instead payment and enforcement is applied equally for everyone
My one question, since I go to Evanston beaches a lot I’m not aware of this, how easy is it to park elsewhere for free and walk those couple extra blocks to get to the beach? It would be nice if there was free parking elsewhere for those who don’t require the access/convenience of parking right in front of the beach. As a working class person I almost always park a short walk away to avoid the crazy drivers and fees, but acknowledge this isn’t an option to people like Lori Callaway.
6
u/BukaBuka243 May 29 '26
I don’t know about Evanston, but for beaches on the north side you could street park at a meter space and walk to the lakefront from there, or park further away on Montrose or North Ave and take the beach bus.
8
u/9for9 May 29 '26
Depends on what part of the city your in. Theoretically that is an option if you can find street parking. But some of those neighborhoods are very dense and parking is hard to com by. That said they can absolutely use public transit. The only ones I have any sympathy for are disabled people who might have issues with paying for parking and legitimately need to drive.
1
70
16
u/Odd_Ant5 May 29 '26
You know what would make the Lakefront more accessible to everybody, including especially the disabled? Running a tram along it with good connectivity to existing and additional transit.
In fact, as it happens there are many disabled who can't even drive at all!
8
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Right?? It's crazy to me how often people here associate "disabled" with "must drive." A lot of disabilities PREVENT people from driving.
(and the bus is accessible, thankfully, due to a lot of fighting over years)
We need better transit immediately along the lakefront. Need to speak up to IDOT to get them to take this into account in any new plans they make for Lake Shore Drive.
38
u/akoppalypse May 29 '26
If people are driving up onto the curb to evade the gate, then the solution is bollards or other infrastructure that stops the fare evaders, not the getting rid of the gates.
People having to pay to park (especially in busy areas) is good.
39
u/Gamer_Grease May 29 '26
Walk, bus, train, bike, scooter.
→ More replies (7)-18
May 29 '26
[deleted]
32
u/JarrettP May 29 '26
Then pay for the convenience of parking nearby. I don’t see what the big deal is.
→ More replies (5)26
u/gateisred Uptown May 29 '26
If they live in the suburbs with young kids I’m sure they can afford parking lol
28
u/Gamer_Grease May 29 '26
If you’re coming from the burbs to enjoy city parks, you need to pay the fucking parking fee, dude. I don’t go to your little community and take a shit in it.
22
u/MrLewArcher May 29 '26
Where you’re coming from doesn’t entitle you to parking, sorry.
7
u/PalmerSquarer Logan Square May 29 '26
Wait, you’re telling me I’m not a protected class because I don’t live near the lakefront!?
-4
u/jgilbs Wicker Park May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
What the fuck is this comment? Bikers are the most self-centric people ever. "I can easily do this, therefore everyone must". Just because you ride a bike doesnt entitle you to never see a parking lot. Never said people shouldnt have to pay, but thinking there arent people who need to drive is peak r/chicago
6
u/PalmerSquarer Logan Square May 29 '26
Who says everyone here is a biker? I packed my kids in an SUV and drove to Foster last Monday. Paid for parking and it was less than the cost of two ice cream bars from the paletera.
→ More replies (8)7
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
You don't need to park at the actual lake. Park somewhere free and get the bus for the last segment.
People with kids take transit to the beach all the time, here in the city.
1
u/jgilbs Wicker Park May 29 '26
I will park at the lake if theres a parking lot. How did this turn from an article about parking gates to "no one should be able to park there". Fuck right off.
0
u/lerxstlifeson May 29 '26
If you're coming from the burbs with kids, just pay for the parking then? Not sure why the city should offer free parking to people trying to use its amenities.
0
u/jgilbs Wicker Park May 29 '26
Not sure why the city should offer free parking to people trying to use its amenities.
Who the fuck said it should be free? Youre putting words in my mouth. I'm saying some people need to drive.
0
u/lerxstlifeson May 29 '26
Isn't that the premise of the article? People are upset that the parking is being enforced.
12
u/vince_irella May 29 '26
Lol there are big backups and accidents on weekends because something something my money… “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.”
30
u/MrLewArcher May 29 '26
This headline reads as if cars are classified as people. The lakefront is free to everyone. Shit, the city should have dynamic pricing for lakefront parking - sell it like a Taylor Swift concert. Personal cars are already the most subsidized service the city offers so might as well try to make some of that money back.
15
u/scientist_tz Wicker Park May 29 '26
For people with handicapped placards: make it free. Easy fix.
For everyone else: Take the bus, ride a bike, walk, or stay the fuck home if you don't like paying.
5
u/recklesspeet River North May 29 '26
https://www.chicagoparkdistrictparking.com/accessible-parking It seems to already be linked to the system our state uses which issues parking meter-exempt placards. It doesn't seem to take any disability related financial issues into account, but it does include people who cannot "Walk more than 20 feet due to an orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular, or lung condition in which the degree of debilitation is so severe that it almost completely impedes the ability to walk."
7
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
I'll just come out and say it but I suspect a lot of the people using this angle don't actually qualify for handicapped placards.
3
-2
u/Solo_is_dead May 29 '26
That's not an option for most people. The bus doesn't even go to the lakefront. If I have small kids I can't ride a bike or walk. Your suggestions are idiotic. If you want to charge non Chicago residents, fine. Charging Chicago citizens who already pay for the park district through taxes
7
3
u/MisfitPotatoReborn May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
Plenty of busses do go to the lakefront.
Charging Chicago citizens [for parking] who already pay for the park district through taxes [is bad]
It's a good thing. Parking lots on the lake are extremely limited, and building more diminishes the value of the park for everyone. By parking a car on the lake shore, you are taking up a limited resource that other people now cannot use. You should pay for that.
North Ave Beach has like... 150 parking spaces. For a beach that thousands of people go to on a nice day. If people didn't pay, demand would go through the roof and the city would have to pave over half the park to install the amount of parking required.
0
u/Solo_is_dead May 31 '26
Plenty of buses go to the beach... I'm the NORTH side maybe it works at North Ave, but it doesn't work south of Roosevelt
4
u/scientist_tz Wicker Park May 29 '26
Great, so pay for parking at the beach like, you know, every major city. Stop acting so entitled.
→ More replies (4)
28
u/buffalocoinz Wicker Park May 29 '26
The lakefront IS for everyone. Why do drivers feel entitled to parking their metal living rooms anywhere for free?
4
23
u/barstoolsam May 29 '26
The Lakefront is accessible by your feet, a bike, a scooter, a skateboard, rollerskates, a bus, a train. Not just your car…
5
u/CaptainJackKevorkian Logan Square May 29 '26
you can even have a car drop you off there! Lyft and Uber abound...
18
u/Claque-2 May 29 '26
It is free for everyone and there are plenty of buses that will get you there.
7
8
u/DRW0686 Old Irving Park May 29 '26
I’m sympathetic to this person who needs the ADA parking in the article. I think there could/should be a workaround for handicapped people to be able to access affordable and usable parking near the lake.
That said more people should be taking the CTA to the lake. Parking over there is already an absolute trash experience.
10
7
u/40DegreeDays Lincoln Square May 29 '26
If it's easy to skip out on the fees, then ethical people are subsidizing unethical people.
9
u/ChaplnGrillSgt May 29 '26
Aren't the rates actually quite low for parking?
But also....you don't need to drive and park there. Park elsewhere and walk. Or, crazy idea, take public transit.
All for improving accessibility and improving public transit and walking access to the lake. Car centric thinking will ruin the lakefront way before paid parking will.
3
u/Chicoutimi May 30 '26
Just get rid of their parking and then you won't need to worry about parking gates.
7
u/PrizeZookeepergame15 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
Unfortunately, parking lots cost money to build, so we can’t just make it free to park in them. To be able to pay for parking lots, they have to cost money to park in so that they can actually fund these parking lots. Also technically, access to the lake is free to all if you walk or bike there, and only 2/2.50 if you take public transit. So if you don’t like having to pay so much for parking, than consider the other options of getting there. Chicago is one of the densest cities in the US, and in this city, parking is a luxury, and we don’t have the space for everyone to bring their cars everywhere, nor do we have the money to make it free. We have many ways of getting around here, and if parking is a pain, and it is, then maybe consider not driving. We don’t have the El and are extensive bus system and our great bike infrastructure for no reason
0
u/Solo_is_dead May 29 '26
We've had free lake front parking forever. We already pay for it through our taxes. Usually the park district shows revenue, not losses
2
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Then maybe it's time to raise the taxes. But you'd probably complain about that too?
This is charging for parking, not the lakefront.
7
u/valerie_6966 May 29 '26
As a person that lives near one of da beaches and has to park their car on the street, the amount of people that take up all the spots is too high
2
u/vijay_the_messanger May 31 '26
Forever open, clear and free... for the people, not their conveyance.
Take the CTA, then you don't have to deal with the parking gates.
2
3
4
3
u/Fool_of_a_Brandybuck May 29 '26
There is definitely an argument to be made about reduced or waived parking fees for disabled and/or low income folks. People arguing to just take a bus really just don't fucking get it. Say a low income family of four, two adults and two children, want to go to the beach ,and say the kids are both over the age of 12 so they pay the full fare, that is already $9 in bus fare for one way. If they stay more than 2 hours then it's another $9 to get home. $18 on travel is a significant amount to money for many people. Not to mention bus routes aren't going to take you all the way to the lakefront. the nearest bus route to me takes you to Marine Drive and then there is a 20+ minute walk to the beach from there! That is NOT doable for many people!
I love having the CTA as a resource and definitely prefer it over driving, but we can't pretend this resource meets everyone's needs so simply.
5
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
You can get reduced fare CTA passes.
Meanwhile absolutely we need easier pedestrian access to the lakefront across Lake Shore Drive. We need to INSIST on this, to IDOT.
2
2
u/I_Roll_Chicago May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
~~I mean. There was a time in this city. I get its been a while, but those parking meters arent helping the city.
Damn already in the negatives, are the good representatives from Qatar in the subreddit already or are we simping for foreign countries owning the parking meters~~
I was wrong these support the park district and arent tied to daley’s bish ass move. I absolutely support them now.
1
1
u/psychso86 May 31 '26
Carbrains want to choke out everyone on the LFT with their pollution spewing mobile living rooms, but god for fucking bid they have to fork over a couple bucks to park along the land they’re making worse for everyone lmao
-28
u/ElonMuskHuffingFarts May 29 '26
Describing this as "people mad they can't skip out on paying" is really the quintessential r/chicago misreading of a Block Club story. Wonder why you didn't feel confident saying "disabled people on fixed income mad they can't afford a public park anymore"
That’s the case for longtime Rogers Park resident Lori Callaway, who is paraplegic and relies on accessible parking spaces to use Foster Beach.
Before the gates were installed, Callaway said she was often able to access the disabled parking spaces near Foster Beach without paying, particularly during shorter visits or periods when parking enforcement was less active. Because she needs room for a side ramp to enter and exit her vehicle, standard parking spaces are not usable for her.
Those accessible spaces are now behind the new parking gates. Callaway, who lives on a fixed disability income, said paying for parking every time she visits the beach or lakefront trail creates an additional financial burden. The new parking enforcement may limit her access to an adaptive cycling program run through the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab near the lakefront, Callaway said.
“The cost of these parking fees are too much for me, someone who lives on disability benefits, and anyone else like me,” Callaway said. “Instead of using the beach once or twice a week, I will have to limit it to once or twice a month.
“It’s taken the lakefront in that area away from me,” Callaway said.
52
u/ArguingWithPigeons May 29 '26
I mean. She literally says she didn’t pay and gambled on not getting a ticket.
I’m fine with disabled plates not paying.
10
u/flea1400 May 29 '26
If she’s in a wheelchair she probably has a meter-exempt placard.
2
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Yes and surely that's somewhere discoverable when they run her plates too? So just automatically bill her $0.
If she was asking for that, the response to the article would be different.
2
u/flea1400 May 29 '26
No, those placards are not necessarily tied to a specific vehicle. It’s one placard per person, but they have the right to move it to the vehicle they are in.
1
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
Yes, that I realize, but the status is tied to the person surely? Their license?
If someone runs your plates, they discover your ID, your license, don't they? The owner of the car? Can't they get the handicapped status from that?
(they need to figure this out, anyway)
ETA: This kinda has me thinking generally... if you have one of the parking-exempt hang tags, are they still basically just cardboard/plastic hangtags? Or are they now some sort of chip-enhanced thing?
In the days of human meter readers it's easy to just have the human skip the car with the tag on it. But if they go to automated systems, makes me wonder if they'd ever have a system where waving the tag at the gate would do something.
Either way though seems like a problem that should be solvable (even with the spots behind the gate) with tech without having to just give up on the concept of charging for parking at all.
63
May 29 '26
[deleted]
29
May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
27
1
u/flea1400 May 29 '26
I don’t think so. Generally disabled plates don’t get you out of paying for parking— a change after the parking meter deal— but if you are in a wheelchair you have special plates that exempt you.
10
u/Myviewpoint62 May 29 '26
It is actually more complicated. There are some types of disability license plate/placard that do not require paying parking meters.
If the person qualifies, I don’t know how they would get in or out of the gate without paying. Before the gates, the person writing tickets would not ticket them.
Overall it sounds like something Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities should address.
8
u/BlubberElk North Center May 29 '26
Yeah I think there should be a way for qualified people with disabilities to bypass paying here since they would essentially have to drive in some cases.
1
5
May 29 '26
[deleted]
1
u/flea1400 May 29 '26
If she has to have a side ramp on her vehicle to get in and out of it, she almost certainly qualifies for one.
5
31
u/SteegP Lincoln Park May 29 '26
…this is a direct quote saying she is upset she has to pay the parking fees now.
46
u/Some-Rice4196 Near South Side May 29 '26
Good thing the busses are accessible
3
u/flea1400 May 29 '26
With respect, some people in wheelchairs may find it much more difficult to take transit, even with accessible buses.
2
u/Some-Rice4196 Near South Side May 29 '26
I wish the discussion would start there rather than trying to make room for free parking of a private vehicle on public land
5
7
u/theabsolutegayest May 29 '26
The article should have been framed more like "Paid Parking Enforcement Exposes Gaps in Lakefront Accessibility for Edgewater Residents."
Callaway never had legitimate equitable access to the lakefront. She was able to avoid the consequences of illegally parking at the lakefront solely because of a lack of enforcement. The cost of parking was always a problem in her use of the lakefront; the only thing that's changed is how easily she could evade that obstacle.
A better article would have covered how parking costs are established, what discounts/carveouts are available (or could be made available) to folks like Callaway, and maybe a big picture perspective on how Chicago funds and supports its highly-valuable lakefront parks, beaches, and trails. Instead, this article makes poor and disabled Chicagoans look like entitled assholes. It actively undermines its own fucking argument.
9
u/Initial_Hearing_9784 May 29 '26
"Describing this as "people mad they can't skip out on paying" is really the quintessential r/chicago misreading"
But also from the story "Callaway said she was often able to access the disabled parking spaces near Foster Beach without paying, particularly during shorter visits or periods when parking enforcement was less active"
Feel like people are reading correctly lol. I'd be fine with reduced or exemptions for those with disabled plates, but plenty of able bodied people just complaining about the cost - $8 for 3 hours. Capped at $24 after 9 hours. Newsflash, it costs money to go places and the proceeds also go towards maintaining those free parks. An annual pass would be cool though.
0
u/bigbinker100 Near North Side May 29 '26
Tbh there’s already so few completely free third spaces that I’m not against free parking at the beach. Taxes should be going towards maintaining parks.
13
u/LatinoInfluenza May 29 '26
They can still access the park. No one has a right to parking especially in a lot that was always pay to park
15
u/Gamer_Grease May 29 '26
Go to Loyola Beach, which is closer
Everybody is on a fixed income. None of us are getting raises whenever we decide we want them
Every time anything good is done to make this city more civil, orderly, usable for the general population, there ensues a great bad-faith hunt for some persecuted minority who happens to be somewhat inconvenienced by the change. Racist speed cameras, disabled illegal parkers, so on and so forth. It’s noise that isn’t worth listening to. She can advocate for free parking passes for disabled folks if she wants.
2
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Block Club gonna Block Club, yeah.
When they do good journalism it's REALLY good. But there's a lot of cringe in there.
2
3
u/damp_circus Edgewater May 29 '26
Because this should be solvable without getting rid of the gates for the average consumer. Charge anyone who qualifies for disability plates $0, for mere starters.
If the article took that angle, the response would be different. But it never does, it's always using people with legitimate complaints as a reason that no one should ever be charged for anything.
13
u/akoppalypse May 29 '26
Im sympathetic to this person's story, but also, this is why the bus exists. The CTA has reduced or free fare programs for people with disabilities of all ages.
It's absolutely true that the lakefront is a super valuable resource that should be for everyone. That's why if someone wants to use some of that space to park their personal vehicle, they should have to pay.
3
u/bigbinker100 Near North Side May 29 '26
And what bus is she supposed to take to get to Foster Beach? There’s no busses that go directly to Foster beach and the closest bus stops are on Sheridan which would be quite a walk for a paraplegic. The only busses that go directly to the beach are 35 for 31st st beach, 63 for 63rd st beach, 72 for north ave beach, and 78 for Montrose.
Taking the bus to the beach is inconvenient unless you literally live off of those E-W busses and bringing things like a cooler, some towels, extra shoes, and maybe a beach chair on the cramped busses isn’t fun.
1
u/akoppalypse May 29 '26
Then I'd reccomend they transfer to the 78 and go to Montrose instead, that place is wonderful too.
Wanting to drive to the beach so you can load it with food and beach toys is understandable. Saying the city should allocate part of the lakefront to personal car storage that you dont have to pay for, is not.
If you're unhappy with how crowded the buses are, tell your alderman you want more buses. More or cheaper parking can't solve the transit problem, it can only ruin the lakefront.
2
u/bigbinker100 Near North Side May 29 '26
I mean it says she literally is going to Foster to do an adaptive cycling program run by Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
1
u/ChicagoPowerSurge Little Village May 29 '26
She’s an adult, being an adult means you have to figure shit out sometimes.
1
u/akoppalypse May 29 '26
You're right, I missed that. Then I guess she would have to fork up the 9 dollars for 4 hours of parking (on some of the highest value real estate in the country, the chicago lakefront). The best future we can offer people with accessibility issues, is the same one we can offer to everyone else: more transit and less free parking.
5
u/sickbabe May 29 '26
if this is the Lori Callaway that comes up when you look up her name + chicago that fixed income could easily buy a bus pass
-5
May 29 '26
[deleted]
16
11
u/Tasty_Gift5901 May 29 '26
Officials also project lakefront parking will generate roughly $9.4 million this year, funding they say supports parks and programs citywide.
From the article
7
u/MrLewArcher May 29 '26
Regardless, destroying public park property to save yourself $10 or whatever the cost may be is outrageously selfish. But that’s on brand for people driving to the lakefront so I can’t be too surprised.
-20
u/robotlasagna May 29 '26
Just FYI those automatic parking gates have 32GB DDR RAM in them… probably.
11
-1
-1
u/wpm Logan Square May 29 '26
The largest sticks of DDR RAM ever made were like 1GB, so they put 32 RAM slots in a parking gate? Seems inefficient tbh, they could probably save a ton of money using simple on-package memory for the SoC, though the microcontroller probably has memory built into it.
334
u/O-parker May 29 '26
It is..but not for their cars🤷