Chicago drivers pay more for on-street parking than any other city: study

The Chicago Tribune reports:

The average driver spends about 56 hours per year in downtown Chicago looking for parking, and pays more for a metered spot than in other major cities in the country, according to a new study.

Almost 10 years after the controversial deal to privatize Chicago's parking meters, parking for two hours in the downtown area is $13, according to the study released on Wednesday by Kirkland, Wash.-based data company INRIX. San Francisco comes in second at $12, while the cost in pricey New York City is just $7.

Chicago ranked third most expensive in the nation for the cost of off-street parking, in garages or lots, at an average of $22 for two hours within a mile of the city center, after New York at $33 and Boston at $26.

"When parking fines, congestion and the difficulty of finding parking are added together, being a motorist in Chicago is costly indeed," said Joe Schwieterman, a transportation expert with DePaul University who reviewed the study. "Chicago's unusually high fees for parking no doubt encourages people to switch to transit, but they also are a drag on downtown retail and tourism when supply doesn't meet demand."

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