No, you are not imagining it. Chicago Park District has started rolling out automated gates and license plate readers at multiple lakefront parking lots, turning what used to be free-to-sit spots into drive-through, pay-by-plate territory. Stick around longer than a 15 minute grace period and you can now be billed automatically. Park officials say the tech upgrade will modernize how parking is enforced along the lakefront, while some nearby residents see it as one more obstacle between lower income Chicagoans and the beach.
According to a Chicago Park District memo posted by the Jackson Park Advisory Council, the district is deploying a system called “Metropolis Vision” that uses cameras and lift arm gates to create a checkout free “drive in, drive out” setup. The memo notes that the new hardware replaces older systems, does not alter current parking rates and spells out a 15 minute grace period for drop offs and pick ups. It also lists which lakefront lots were slated for upgrades.
Axios reports that the gates are now switched on at 10 lakefront locations, and park officials told the outlet they expect the automated system to bring in about $9.4 million in revenue this year. Axios reporter Monica Eng tried out the system at Foster Beach and described getting a text message asking for payment shortly after she drove through the lot. Park district officials told Axios that “Lakefront parking lots have been paid lots since May 2009” and said the changes “modernize how payment is managed and enforced.”…