Parking in Chicago is bad. With the privatization of its parking meters and its reputation as one of the most expensive cities to park, this isn’t news. But a recent study by ParkWhiz says parking in Chicago is so bad, it’s keeping people away from downtown and out of special events.
The parking app creator surveyed 500 Chicagoans to get their take on the city’s parking problem and used that information to fuel a new service called “Simple Price Parking.”
Among the study’s key findings, ParkWhiz found that 81 percent of Chicagoans surveyed said they would be more likely to go downtown if it wasn’t for the cost of parking, and 71 percent said that the parking prices were unpredictable and they ended up paying more than expected. According to ParkWhiz, the average cost of one hour of parking in a garage is $21.
“It’s no secret that parking in Chicago is expensive. Even street-meter parking can be as high as $6.50 per hour,” ParkWhiz CEO Aashish Dalal said in a statement.
“Our goal is to simplify the frustrating process of finding affordable parking downtown and give our customers the flexibility to park where they want at a lower and predictable price. People shouldn’t miss out on going where they want.”
ParkWhiz’s Simple Price Parking, available on iPhone or Android, offers a flat-rate pricing model that lets customers pay $5 for one hour, $10 for two hours and $15 for all-day parking at the company’s 100 partner garages throughout the city.
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