Street Parking in Chicago

Good convenient street parking in Chicago can be a miracle when you’re able to find it, but did you know that Chicago’s street parking is a strictly regulated as any operation in the nation?

Do you have a city sticker for the right zone? Are you willing to potentially need to come out in the middle of the night and renew your parking reservation with a machine?

Before you decide that you want to take advantage of the parking that the city streets offer – ask yourself – wouldn’t using ParkJockey (www.parkjockey.com – available in the Apple and Android app stores) be easier and in most cases cost the same price or less?

We offer hourly and monthly parking throughout the entire city. Our lots our commercial in nature and not subject to the city’s street parking regulations. Before you make your decision about where to park tonight – brush up on the following regulations and then take a look at a ParkJockey spot!

Frequently Asked Questions – Parking and Compliance in City of Chicago

Q. Will contesting or challenging my ticket really give me more time to pay?

A. No. Contrary to popular belief, contesting or challenging a ticket will unlikely buy you more time. In fact, if you are found liable you may be billed more quickly. Should you need more time to pay a ticket, please take advantage of one of the City of Chicago’s available payment plans.

Q. If I elect to contest my ticket by mail, what information should be included?

A. Set forth facts that establish an allowable defense. Also sign any supporting evidence and indicate the ten-digit ticket number of the ticket you are contesting on each piece of evidence. Evidence includes but is not limited to: photographs, affidavits, your state vehicle registration, or official police vehicle theft and/or recovery reports. Make sure the documents are legible and complete. Send copies, not originals; evidence will not be returned.

Q. My car is registered outside of Chicago. Am I still required to display a City Sticker on my car?

A. Yes, as long as you are a resident of Chicago. Residents include all people who own or rent property in Chicago, regardless of whether or not Chicago is your primary home. New residents must obtain and display a City sticker in 30 days.

Q. I do not own property in Chicago but instead rent an apartment. Am I still required to display a City Sticker on my car?

A. Yes, renters must obtain and properly display a city sticker.

Q. I’ve seen ticket-issuers taking photos of violations. What’s going on?

A. Parking enforcement personnel may issue tickets using handheld computers that can also take supporting photos. Photos will serve as evidence to a violation. Motorists who receive a ticket that is supported by photographs may view them on this site.

Q. Will the Administrative Law Officer listen to my side of the story?

A. Yes, but you need to raise one of the allowable defenses. Administrative Law Officers are private attorneys contracted by the City of Chicago’s Department of Administrative Hearings. They are trained to hear parking ticket cases and must be fair and impartial. They must base their rulings on ordinances and not on personal feelings.

Q. Why did I get a ticket when there was clearly no yellow line?

A. The yellow line itself does not determine whether a parking space is legal or illegal. The yellow line is merely a warning to look around for a “no parking sign” or an indication that you can’t park there.

Q. Can I get a ticket, even if I was illegally parked for a minute?

A. You may be ticketed for parking illegally for any amount of time. The actual duration one is parked illegally is not a defense.

Q. Can I be ticketed even if there was time on the meter? How is that possible?

A. If you are parked at a two-hour meter, for example, you are not allowed to feed the meter after the two hours are over. You must move your car so that other motorists may park. Even if you put more quarters in the meter, if you have parked there over the stated limit, you can get a ticket.

Q. Why did I get a ticket for a Street Cleaning Violation? There were no signs posted when I parked.

A. The City must provide reasonable notice of street cleaning or other temporary no-parking restrictions. A hearing officer can determine whether or not a violation is proper.

Q. I received multiple tickets for the same meter violation, how is that possible?

A. Motorists can get multiple parking tickets for sitting at the same expired meter, so if you are parked at an expired one-hour meter for more than two hours, you can get two tickets.

Q. What are the defenses for contesting parking tickets?

A. The Municipal Code of Chicago allows the following defenses for parking and compliance tickets. The following defenses are allowed for most parking and compliance tickets:

The respondent was not the owner or lessee of the cited vehicle at the time of the violation;

The cited vehicle or its state registration plates (license plates) were stolen at the time of the violation;

The relevant signs prohibiting or restricting parking were missing or obscured;

The relevant parking meter was inoperable or malfunctioned through no fault of the respondent;

The facts alleged in the parking or compliance violation notice are inconsistent or do not support a finding that the specified regulation was violated (e.g., motorists may contest a city sticker violation if they have resided in Chicago for less than 30 days or the cited vehicle was purchased in the last 30 days; tinted windows comply with the medical use requirement of 625 ILCS 5/12-503(g); the residential parking permit was issued to a delivery, service, or repair vehicle or home health care provider doing business with or assisting a resident of the zone; etc.);

The illegal vehicle condition did not exist at the time of the compliance violation;

The illegal vehicle condition was corrected prior to the hearing (Note: this defense does not apply to city sticker violations (§ 9-64-125), muffler or exhaust violations (§ 9-76-140(a)), missing plate violations (§ 9-76-160(a)), expired registration violations (§ 9-76-160(f)), and tinted window violations (§ 9-76-220)).

Q. What are the defenses for contesting red-light tickets?

A. The following defenses are allowed for red-light violations recorded by automated cameras (violations issued pursuant to 9-102-020 of the Municipal Code of Chicago). You should have received a notice by postal mail displaying three (3) images of a vehicle registered in your name, including a close-up image of the vehicle’s license plate:

The operator was also issued a uniform traffic citation for a violation of sections 9-8-020(c) or 9-16-030(c) (for purposes of red light camera violations issued pursuant to section 9-102-020 only);

That the violation occurred when the vehicle or its state registration plates (license plates) were reported to a law enforcement agency as having been stolen, and the vehicle or its plates had not been recovered by the owner at the time of the alleged violation;

The vehicle was an authorized emergency vehicle or was lawfully participating in a funeral procession;

That the facts alleged in the violation notice are inconsistent or do not support a finding that the Chicago Municipal code was violated;

The respondent was not the owner of the cited vehicle at the time of the violation.

Sail Into Easy Cruise Ship Parking

At any given moment on any given day, there are countless cruise ships embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime voyage — all from the same port. If you’re lucky enough to be heading out on one of these floating paradises, there is one last thing you have to do before you can kick back on the lido deck and enjoy that first Piña Colada: Park! With so many ships leaving port at the same time there are thousands of people flocking everyday to a very concentrated area, making parking a significant incubus for travelers. ParkJockey is here to ease these parking concerns by providing vacationers with a parking reservation technology system in four of the busiest cruise ports in America!

Port of Miami

Port Everglades

Port Canaveral

Manhattan Cruise Terminal

To book your cruise parking for any of these ports:

1. Visit www.cruise.parkjockey.com
2. Select your port, departure date, and cruise line
3. Choose from a list of ParkJockey affiliated lots
4. Reserve your parking spot!

Choose your road wisely…

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.”
― Will Rogers

Everyone now has just about managed to restart their car – some would’ve needed their choke, some would’ve done it with a groan – but it’s time to start the 2015 journey.

Now depending on what road you take from this week forward, there could either be a bundle of opportunity, little opportunity or none whatsoever.

Let’s hope there is a bundle!

Think of the tempting parking spots, conveyed by Rogers, as little pockets that stop you from reaching the end goal.

These goals can be little and large from; getting a promotion, having an amazing birthday or maybe watching your sports team win the league title.

Now at ParkJockey, our culture takes a similar approach in making sure you the valued customer drives down the road comfortably to your desired destination.

> Try driving down the road and being stuck in traffic – You can call us Moses but we’ll make sure you weave your way to the space, just in time and close to the office for that important meeting you need to be at for work (for your promotion).

> It’s a miserable rainy day and parking seems to be scarce – We can’t change the weather but we can certainly make sure your eyes are dry from the agony of looking for parking for over 10 minutes. In the end you make it early enough for your birthday party, and the the spot was even reserved for you.

> It’s gridlock near the stadium and there are fans walking around the street with their hotdogs and burgers – You’ve joined them, soaking up the atmosphere and ready for your favourite sports team’s big game of the year – because you pre-booked your parking in advance and you got there before all the commotion!

Have a great new year!

The New Year in New York

As the holiday festivities finish up and 2014 draws to a close, there is one more grand celebration that brings people into New York City for the New Year: the dropping of the New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square. Come on down This annual tradition began in 1907-1908, when New York Times’ owner, Alfred Ochs, threw a new year’s eve party of massive proportions. It was his way of bringing people up from Brooklyn and lower Manhattan to what was then Longacre Square. The party began with a street festival that lasted all day. Once it was dark, fireworks were set off, and the ball was dropped for the first time. It was an instant success that suddenly became a New Year’s tradition. Before that, people had gathered at Trinity Wall Street Church, awaiting the bells to chime that would “Ring out the old year, and ring in the new year.” But given the drunken and raucous behavior of the celebrants, the church was glad to hand over the New Year’s celebration to the New York Times.

According to The New Yorker, the origin of using “time balls” to mark a point in time goes back to the early 1800s, when Captain Robert Wauchope thought of the idea of having naval observatories use visual signals to help ships recalibrate their chronometers. Chronometers were clocks used on ships to help approximate distance traveled over time. Although the time balls were ultimately believed impractical due to low visibility, the time ball became a more popular tradition inland. Alfred Ochs had Artkraft Strauss construct a time ball for One Times Square, which, at the time, was the tallest building in New York. But instead of dropping it every day at noon as other time balls had been used for, they just dropped it the once at midnight to celebrate the New Year.

There were only two years that the ball did not drop: 1942 and 1943. During the war, New Yorkers maintained a “dimout” procedure to prevent German submarines from seeing the shore to attack it. In those two years, the congregated people had a moment of silence and then rang bells in the old tradition.

According to Times Square New York, there have been 7 incarnations of the time ball. The first had one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. The current incarnation has 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs, is twelve feet in diameter, weighs nearly 6 tons, and can create a kaleidoscope of colors to entrance and excite.

So come to Time’s Square and see what the time ball will look like this year given its immense possibilities, and bring in the new year right with the roughly one billion people that come to Time’s Square or tune in on their television. But make sure to book your parking ahead of time, as it will be almost impossible to find parking within Manhattan on the night of the event. ABM Parking Services is now partnering with ParkJockey to provide locations right in the heart of Midtown, just a few steps away from the Museum of Modern Art. And spaces this good will not last long. ParkJockey also has garages available all throughout the Upper East and West sides as well as lower Manhattan. So book your parking for New Year’s now! Wherever you need to go, ParkJockey has you covered!

Sign up now and use the promo code “NEWYEAR”, and new users will receive a discount on your next booking. But act quickly because once the ball drops, so does the promotion!

Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting

With all of the shows, musical performances, and holiday events happening all over town in December, it is tough to choose what to go see and it is simply impossible to see everything. However, there are a few holiday traditions in New York that are easy to schedule and don’t even require a ticket to visit.

One such tradition is the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The tree lighting has been a nationally televised event for years and has drawn people from all over the world. According to the Rockefeller Center, this tradition was started in December 1931 when a team of demolition workers at the Rockefeller Center construction site pooled their money together to buy a Christmas tree. It was a mere 20 feet high, nothing compared to the 67-100 feet high trees used today, but during the depression, this tree embodied the hope and determination of an impoverished people. Two years later, after the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza in 1933, the lighting of the tree became an official holiday ceremony.

In following years, multiple trees were erected within a holiday season to commemorate specific events. For example, in 1936, to commemorate the opening of the Rockefeller Center skating rink, two trees were erected and lit for the ceremony. In 1942, to commemorate the war effort, three trees were erected trimmed in red, white, and blue. And in 1945, six ultraviolet light projectors were used to make the tree that year considerably brighter to make up for the years during the war when the tree couldn’t be lit.

In 1951, the tree lighting became nationally televised on NBC as part of The Kate Smith Show. Following years saw other hosts like Howdy Doody from 1953-1955, Barbara Walters, Bob Hope, Lily Tomlin, and Liza Minnelli.

The tree selected each year comes from different places all over the United States. It has been adorned with everything from tin cans and scrap paper, to aluminum and lights of every size and shape. And every year, there is a new star to bring the ceremony to light. Although the ceremony begins on December 3rd, you can still see the tree lit every evening until January 6th.

So make a trip to the Rockefeller Center, see the tree lighting that has become a national event year after year, and make sure to book your parking early with ParkJockey! We have locations near Rockefeller Center in Midtown, as well as the Upper East Side, NoHo, and all throughout New York City. Wherever you need to go, ParkJockey has you covered!

Sign up now and use the promo code “TREES”, and new users will receive a discount on your next booking. But act quickly, just as the holiday tree will have to come down, so will this promotion!

Art Basel Miami Madness

Every year the beginning of December marks the time when everyone’s mind gears toward the holidays – but not in Miami. The city goes into an “Art Basel” frenzy. As one of the largest international art fairs, Art Basel Miami, attracts 75,000+ visitors throughout the week. The explosive influx of world-renowned artists, pop culture celebrities, public figures, and affluent scions creates a glitzy, “cannot-miss” hype around the seven day event. This year’s pop icon appearances include: Miley Cyrus, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Usher, Joe Jonas, Kim Kardashian, Usain Bolt, A$AP Rocky, and even Paris Hilton who deejayed at Wall Miami.

Art Basel is the largest exhibition taking place at the Miami Beach Convention Center, however, the term is commonly used to describe the week long art fair, formally called Miami Art Week. The fair spans across Miami Beach, Midtown, the Design District, Wynwood, and beyond.

Just at the peak of Art Basel when the sidewalks were overflowing and road congestion was backed up for miles, a protest hit the streets which made driving a nightmare. But the ParkJockey Team would not be slowed, and assisted drivers to find the most accessible parking locations. Throughout the week ParkJockey taught visitors and locals alike how to master the art of parking during the chaos of it all.

The ParkJockey team wasn’t content simply solving Basel’s parking problems and was caught in the artistic vibes flowing through the city. ParkJockey had an interactive Art Basel inspired painting activity in order to stimulate people’s inner artistic ability! Throughout the week ParkJockey customers and Art Basel visitors of all ages stopped to contribute to the Miami HEAT and ParkJockey mural. ParkJockey also handed out Miami HEAT t-shirts to those apart of the HEAT Nation family! At some point, a local artist got ahold of one of our t-shirts and turned it into his own artwork at a live demonstration in Wynwood!

The Nutcracker Ballet

As New York City gears up the holiday festivities, one of the oldest and most treasured holiday traditions is the yearly performance of the The Nutcracker Ballet. Be it young children in their first dance to the music of Tchaikovsky, or professional ballet companies practicing tirelessly to bring new energy to such a familiar classic, no holiday season is complete without seeing a performance of the ballet.

Most are familiar with the story of the ballet: a girl receives a nutcracker for Christmas and gets drawn into a magical world of love and brave nutcrackers fighting the Mouse King. The story of the Nutcracker was originally based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Alexandre Dumas Père wrote an adaptation titled The Tale of the Nutcracker, and Marius Petipa simplified the adaption and choreographed it for the ballet with music set by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. According to the Moscow Ballet, the director of Moscow’s Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, commissioned the ballet in 1891. In 1892, a week before Christmas, the ballet was premiered.

According to the National Post, although Czar Alexander III thoroughly enjoying the ballet, the critics and audience found the choreography confusing. Despite the negative reviews, everyone loved the music, so the ballet toured the world using different choreographies. It first reached the United States in 1944, landing in San Fransisco.

It wasn’t until George Balanchine choreographed the ballet for the New York City Ballet in 1954 that the Christmas Ballet as we know it began to unfold. From that point on, everyone followed Balanchine’s choreography and the ballet became a mainstay of Christmas and of New York City.

Whether you are seeing your child’s first performance of the ballet at their school, or taking a trip to the Lincoln Center to see the New York City Ballet bring Balanchine’s and Tchaikovsky’s brilliance to life, remove the stress of parking and book with ParkJockey. We have locations throughout the Upper West Side, Midtown, and all throughout New York City. Wherever your travels take you, ParkJockey’s got you covered!

Sign up now and use the promo code “BALLETS”, and new users will receive a $5 credit towards your next booking. But act quickly, just as Christmas will end, so will this promotion!

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

With Thanksgiving and its festivities coming to a close this week, everyone is moving their attention to the coming holiday season. Throughout New York City, stores are putting up holiday window displays, soon Rockefeller Center will have its annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, and Bryant Park is opening its ice rink.

But nothing really brings in the holiday spirit quite like the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the Rockettes.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular takes place in the beautiful Radio City Music Hall at 6th Avenue and 50th Street. The building was constructed in 1929 with funding support from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the Radio Corporation of America. After construction was completed, S.L. “Roxy” Rothafel was brought on as impresario of the Music Hall. Roxy developed a reputation as a theatrical genius by combining vaudeville, movies, and razzle-dazzle décor to revive struggling theaters in the wake of the stock market crash.

The legend of the Rockettes began in 1925 with a group called the “Missouri Rockets”. They had been tapping and making high kicks since 1925 under the direction of Russell Markert. The Missouri Rockets were invited by Roxy Rothafel to perform at Radio City’s opening night on December 27th, 1932, using the name the “Roxyettes.” They were one of 17 diverse acts including the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger, and Martha Graham. Despite the competition, they were invited back the following year to headline and were renamed the “Rockettes.” In the 80 years since then, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has become the #1 holiday production in America. It has toured 74 different cities outside of New York, such as Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, and St. Louis. However, its home will always be the Radio City Music Hall.

So come into the city and see the show that truly celebrates the holiday season in style. Performances run throughout the month of December. And when you plan your trip to see this spectacular show, make sure to book with ParkJockey so you don’t find yourself missing everything because you can’t find parking. We have locations all over New York City, from Midtown, to the Upper East Side, to SoHo, and the financial district. Wherever your travels take you, ParkJockey’s got you covered.

Book now using the promo code “ROCKETTES” and get a discount off your next booking.

After Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Black Friday

Since we visited the history of the Thanksgiving Day Parade last week, it is only fitting that we give the history of the second scariest day of the year (just below Halloween): Black Friday. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Black Friday are intrinsically linked. According to blackfriday.com, ever since the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, “the Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as the unofficial start to a bustling holiday shopping season.”

There is some disagreement as to the origin of the term, “Black Friday.” The term was most likely first coined in the 1960s by police officers in Philadelphia to describe the mess associated with congested streets filled with heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic. According to Ben Zimmer’s article “The Origins of ‘Black Friday,’” Philadelphia merchants initially detested the label because of its association with the stock market crisis of 1869. Merchants were worried that customers would have been scared off by the ominous title, preferring to call it “Big Friday.” However, the name “Black Friday” also had another meaning, and that is referring to stores moving from the “red” to the “black.” When accounting records were kept by hand, red indicated a loss, and black indicated a profit. So, despite objections, because of the alternate association, and continued use of the term by the press, the name remained.

In recent years, it has developed more of a negative connotation, with people aggressively waiting hours in lines to be the first to get the specials. But that does not change the fact that everyone agrees Black Friday is the best time to get your Christmas shopping done. You get the best deals you will be able to find all year, and you have all day to visit the stores and find the deals right for you. So brave the crowds and make sure you get out and grab some special deals!

But don’t get stuck in the traffic with no place to park! Book with ParkJockey now and reserve a spot close to your favorite shopping locations, be it in SoHo, Midtown, along 5th Avenue, or anywhere in the New York City area. And, of course, be safe this “Black Friday” and happy shopping!

Book now using the promo code “FRIDAYDEAL” and, in the spirit of Black Friday, get a great discount on your next booking!

ParkJockey Presentation at IGNITE Conference – London

Our Global Head of Marketing, Igal Aciman, took the stage as one of guest speakers at Nimbus Ninety’s annual IGNITE conference at The Worx, London.

As a technology-focused business association, Nimbus Ninety brings together over 400 business leaders over two days of keynote speeches, breakout sessions, networking events and an awards ceremony. The great line-up of speakers besides Igal included business leaders from Tesla Motors, Virgin, BBC Worldwide, and many others.

Igal’s breakout session talk was titled “Customer-centric digital disruption in a traditional industry,” in which he elaborated on the lessons from ParkJockey’s experience with digital disruption that are applicable to large companies. Check out the full recording below!

In addition to the talk, you can also review the case study on ParkJockey that Nimbus Ninety published on October 10, featuring an interview with Igal Aciman and our Head of Operations – UK, Kamal Rajput.