Daley tells parking meter company to shape up
An admittedly "frustrated" Mayor Daley demanded Thursday that Chicago's embattled parking meter contractor shape up to prevent problems like the pay-and-display box malfunction that gave downtown motorists a day-long reprieve from parking tickets.
Last week, Daley acknowledged that City Hall botched the privatization of Chicago's 36,000 parking meters by not transferring meters to a contractor over a more gradual, three-month transition.
Last week, Daley acknowledged that City Hall botched the privatization of Chicago's 36,000 parking meters by not transferring meters to a contractor over a more gradual, three-month transition.
But, that was before Wednesday's fiasco that forced the city to stop writing downtown parking tickets for an entire work day.
But, that was before Wednesday's fiasco that forced the city to stop writing downtown parking tickets for an entire work day.
It happened after 250 newly installed pay-and-display boxes -- touted as the solution to jammed and improperly calibrated downtown meters-stopped spitting out receipts that must be displayed in the windshield of parked cars.
On Thursday, Daley said there should have been a four-month transition. And instead of accepting responsibility for the fiasco, he pointed fingers at Chicago Parking Meters LLC.
"Everybody's frustrated about . . . the glitch that took place. Everybody is frustrated. This company is performing, [but] has to perform much better. I've told them that," the mayor said.
"There was a computer glitch with 250 [pay-and-display boxes] and they corrected that. . . .They're going through transitions. We're frustrated and they know that. . . . [They have to] do a better job.”
But, the mayor once again rejected aldermanic demands that the city cancel the 75-year, $1.15 billion lease.
“We just filled our budget with $40 million [from the parking meter deal]. You can't go to taxpayers for $40 million. You just can't. Not only $40 million. Look at what else we did. The aldermanic menu money and everything else. This is a longstanding effect” on the city's finances, the mayor said.
He added, “It's parking meters. You know how many you got around the city. That's a problem. Let's be realistic. Some were in good shape. Some were not in good shape. But, in the long run, this will work out.”
The mayor was reminded that this week's problem centered around pay-and-display boxes touted as the touted as the solution to jammed and improperly calibrated downtown meters.
“Yeah but it's a computer glitch. How many computer glitches do you have in your company? It happens. But, I know the headline is important because you need the headlines,” he said.
Ald. Tom Allen (38th), chairman of the City Council's Transportation Committee, agreed that the city has little choice but to work with the contractor.
“It was a massive undertaking that we did with very little public comment and two days of deliberation. Now, what are you gonna do? We've already cashed their check,” he said.
“Had we not taken their money, there would be a pretty good appetite to revisit this thing. It's been a disaster."
Avis LaVelle, the former mayoral press secretary now serving as a spokesperson for Chicago Parking Meters LLC, could not be reached for comment on the mayor's demand that the contractor step it up a notch.
Earlier Thursday, LaVelle said the pay-and-display problem was corrected, primarily by “opening the boxes up and re-adjusting the paper.” But, she said the company still doesn't know what caused the boxes to malfunction in the first place.
“They made the boxes operational. I never said they fixed it. To say it was fixed is to say you know what the issue is. It's important to know. It cost them [revenue]. They're looking at what the issue is and how to rectify the problem,” she said.
Asked whether the contractor planned to reimburse the city for lost ticket revenue, LaVelle said, “I'm not saying yes or no. I'm saying that, as far as I'm aware, there has been no discussion of anything like that.”