"Dock" Walls Offers Way To Ease Parking Meter Woes
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- One of the lesser-known candidates for Mayor has come up with one novel way to bypass some of the City's problems with its parking meter privatization.
WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports that William "Dock" Walls has proposed the city should create a new class of vehicle sticker to allow drivers to park for up to two hours without feeding parking meters.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Craig Dellimore Reports.
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Walls said the city should create a new sticker that would cost $150 – twice the typical city sticker price.
That sticker would allow the owner to park at any metered space for up to two hours without feeding the meter box.
LAZ Parking, the private firm that has leased the city's parking meters, would get $50 of the extra $75 the driver paid for their vehicle sticker. The city would get the rest.
Walls — who has run for Mayor before — said his plan would give the city revenue up front, make parking easier on motorists, and even help the company that operates the parking meter boxes.
"Now, because of the convenience that we're providing customers, our driver, and because we're making it easier for LAZ Parking … to collect their money up front, we then get a share of the parking meter revenues," Walls said.
He predicted the proposal could net the city $25 million a year.
Walls is one of the guests on Newsradio 780's "At Issue" program this weekend and you can hear more of his comments Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.
