Evanston parking and the mentally deficient City Council
Evanston parking. What a fucking racket. Here’s a lethal combination:
- A fiscal crisis in the city of Evanston.
- A lack of street parking in the downtown area.
- The sudden closing of the Davis St. parking garage, upon which many Evanstonians relied for parking.
- The presence of many shops and restaurants downtown, which are Evanston’s greatest draw and a huge source of tax revenue for the city.
So what’s all this add up to? Evanston is the North Shore’s restaurant and shop hub, but the parking is becoming scarcer—and the City Council knows it. This is driving away visitors who don’t want to deal with the hassle of driving around for 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot. I should know: I spent 20 minutes on Saturday looking for a spot, gave up, and drove home. The Daily also seems to realize that sending out the parking nazis is bad for business.
Amazingly, while the city weathers a seriously parking shortfall, it continues to expand its fleet of parking enforcement lackeys. These sobs drive around in white Jeeps and give you a ticket if you’re one minute over on your meter. Hey, keep in mind that Evanston enforces meters from 8a-9p, Mon-Sat.
Evanston thinks it can generate revenue with increased parking enforcement. In 2002, the city brought in just under three million dollars from parking tickets. Anyone but an imbecile knows that in the long view, the city is shooting itself in the foot. With the scarcity of parking downtown and the ever-deployed parking myrmidons, ready and willing to dole out $25 tickets, no would-be visitors will want to eat, shop, and pay sales taxes in Evanston.
Welcome, my friends, to the beautifully managed world of the Evanston City Council.