A new parking meter deal is done and dusted, as City Council on Tuesday approved a $2.53 billion agreement allowing Stonepeak Partners to take over the remaining 57 years of Chicago’s parking meter lease. Good. We were tired of writing about this historic disaster.
But that doesn’t mean there cannot be another one just ahead.
Now, aldermen are looking to the future. And as some gaze into their crystal ball, they see a brave new world in which suburbanites pay more to park.
An idea is floating around to bifurcate parking meter prices, adding a surcharge of 25 to 50 cents an hour for non-Chicagoans who park in the city, according to Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett, 27th.
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It’ll raise revenue, he says, though he couldn’t say how much, and encourage public transit, though that doesn’t take into account the frequent inadequacy of those options from the suburbs, especially on evenings and weekends.
What we know for sure is that such a move is crazy-town nonsense.
“It’s easy to track, they already have the data now,” Burnett said. “We want our suburban counterparts to help when they’re clogging up the system.”
Clogging up the system? Oy.
We have an altogether different view of our neighbors to the north, south and west.
We view them not as bumbling annoyances from which to extract extra cash for the privilege of parking their car on the street, but value their awe and enjoyment of our city, even if they only stick around for a little while.
Is he referring to those suburbanites who come downtown for a show, grab dinner first and a drink after, before heading home? Paying ample taxes in the process and contributing to our city’s hubbub and patronizing our business community?
Or the suburbanites who drive to the city for work when transit isn’t a reasonable option? The ones who buy coffee and sandwiches with colleagues?
Or maybe he’s thinking about the middle-class families that decide to come to Wrigleyville to catch a Cubs game? To sit amid the magic of the ivy and feel the buzz of the historic stadium, cultivating in young suburban minds the magic of a ballgame in Chicago?
Chicago’s economy — and the city’s bottom line — depends in no small part on making visitors feel welcome here. Chicago welcomed 56.8 million visitors in 2025, generating a record $21.5 billion in spending, according to Choose Chicago. Among those visitors, of course, are our suburban neighbors, coming into the city for restaurants, shows, sporting events and countless other attractions.
Thank goodness for that. Thank goodness.
You don’t greet guests with hostility, and creating a suburban parking surcharge sends the message that you’re not welcome in Chicago unless you live here. Drawing lines between the city and the ‘burbs in such a way is petty and unbecoming of a Chicagoan.
It’s also indicative that aldermen fail to realize two important things:
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Firstly, suburbanites help keep the lights on in Chicago.
Secondly, Chicago shouldn’t take suburban business for granted. Naperville has a very nice downtown.
Enough already. This idea should not be floating around. It should sink.
Soaking the suburbs over parking is reminiscent of other foolish, revenue-grabbing ideas, such as a congestion tax aimed at outsiders as a way to gin up money to cover Chicago’s ever-present budget black hole. We understand that budget season isn’t going to be pretty, but Chicago isn’t just for Chicagoans.
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