City cracks down on disability-parking scofflaws
By CHRIS FUSCO Staff Reporter / cfusco@suntimes.com December 19, 2011 12:10AM
Abuse of disabled-parking placards like the one hanging in the car above has prompted a new state law that takes effect next year. | Sun-Times files
Updated: May 9, 2012 10:07AM
The city of Chicago has been cracking down on disabled-parking cheats since September, when a Chicago Sun-Times reporter begin asking Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration about the problem, city records show.
That’s nearly 15 times the number of tickets the city had issued for disability-parking abuses during the previous nearly five-year period, from Jan. 1, 2006, to Sept. 1, 2011.
City officials attribute the dramatic rise in the number of tickets being issued to a shift that saw city Revenue Department employees resume their previous role as the main ticket-writing force in the Loop. That happened in August, after Emanuel laid off 40 city Traffic Management Authority workers who had primarily been doing parking enforcement.
Also, in late September, all Revenue Department employees underwent training on how to spot fake, stolen or otherwise invalid disability-parking placards and license plates.
Here’s a look at the number of tickets per week issued in September, October and November. Most were issued in the Loop. Each ticket carries a $200 fine.
Sept. 1-3: 136 Sept. 4-10: 276 Sept. 11-17: 256 Sept 18-24: 284 Sept. 25-Oct. 1: 300 Oct. 9-Oct. 15: 262 Oct. 16-Oct 22: 253 Oct. 23-Oct. 29: 292 Oct. 30-Nov. 4: 254 Nov. 6-Nov. 12: 244 Nov. 13-Nov. 19: 237 Nov. 20-Nov. 26: 157 Nov. 27-Nov. 30: 22 TOTAL: 3,248
Why parking problems could cost city $13.5 million
Using a formula in the 521-page meter-privatization deal inked by former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration, Chicago Parking Meters LLC has billed Chicago taxpayers $13.5 million to reimburse it for the number of people who parked for free using disability placards and license plates between Feb. 28, 2010, and Feb. 28, 2011.
Those drivers got $17.9 million of free parking for the yearlong period — only $4.4 million of which the company had to absorb, under the formula. The meter-privatization deal calls for taxpayers to pay Chicago Parking Meters the $13.5-million difference, the Sun-Times reported last week.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is disputing the bill but concedes that many who park for free aren’t disabled.
Here are the top five dates in each zone of the city where Chicago Parking Meters found widespread use of disabled-parking placards and license plates, along with the annual loss in meter revenue, based on the formula:
Central Business District, Zone 1
Bounded by North Avenue, Lake Michigan, Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street
| Date | Hourly rate | Paying Parkers | Disabled parkers | Annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 30 | $4.25 | 868 | 1,103 | $1.51 million |
| Dec. 15 | $2.50 | 6,946 | 2,350 | $1.47 million |
| Nov. 9 | $4.25 | 859 | 1,081 | $1.41 million |
| Sept. 30 | $2.50 | 7,342 | 2,306 | $1.36 million |
| Nov. 9 | $2.50 | 6,976 | 2,084 | $1.34 million |
North Side, Zone 2
Bounded by north city limits, Lake Michigan, North Avenue and west city limits
| Date | Hourly rate | Paying Parkers | Disabled parkers | Annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 30 | $1.25 | 1,085 | 227 | $941,582 |
| Dec. 15 | $1.25 | 1,344 | 244 | $774,170 |
| Nov. 19 | $1.25 | 1,110 | 199 | $730,237 |
| Aug. 18 | $1.25 | 1,260 | 181 | $628,906 |
| Sept. 25 | $1.25 | 1,679 | 230 | $246,604 |
West Side, Zone 3
Bounded by North Avenue, Halsted Street, Roosevelt Road and west city limits
| Date | Hourly rate | Paying Parkers | Disabled parkers | Annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 30 | $1.25 | 410 | 83 | $224,047 |
| Dec. 15 | $1.25 | 399 | 81 | $214,879 |
| Aug. 18 | $1.25 | 380 | 74 | $209,516 |
| Sept. 25 | $1.25 | 385 | 54 | $62,092 |
| Aug. 21 | $1.25 | 412 | 49 | $51,183 |
South Side, Zone 4
Bounded by Roosevelt Road, Lake Michigan, south city limits and west city limits
| Date | Hourly rate | Paying Parkers | Disabled parkers | Annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 15 | $1.25 | 415 | 148 | $503,831 |
| Sept. 30 | $1.25 | 735 | 210 | $446,381 |
| Aug. 18 | $1.25 | 485 | 88 | $279,082 |
| Nov. 9 | $1.25 | 531 | 100 | $277,917 |
| Sept. 25 | $1.25 | 618 | 100 | $101,122 |
