$200 Parking Tip

It is illegal to park under any viaducts in Chicago.

This was news to me but, seeing how I shelled out a bunch of money to the city… I figured I’d share this tidbit with you.

After tracking down my missing car yesterday, I showed up at Central Pound this morning to pick up my vehicle. I had all the necessary paperwork with me, and spent my time in line waiting.

Here’s what I’ve come to understand. The people who work for the city work slowly. I mean, really slowly. It’s all one to them how quickly things get done because, in their eyes, it will all get done at some point. The more I watched the women behind the counter, the more I realized how dull and repetitive their days must be.

That said, everyone on my side of the counter was impatient (myself included). We all wanted our cars, and we could care less about details, procedure, rules. We just wanted our cars and we wanted to get the hell out. None of us cared to understand why, we just wanted to settle the bill and leave.

Every person on my side of the counter wanted to be given special priviledges. If forms were missing, random bits of documentation were brought out and offered. Everyone wanted their problems overlooked, so they could just get out to their cars.

Every person on the other side of the counter knew the intricacies of parking, towing, fining. They were unable to understand how anyone else could not know what they know. The rules were transparent to them, but only because they come in contact with every variant day in and day out. No wonder impound lots are so full of stress.

In the end, here’s my assessment:

City workers can be less condescending. There’s simply no need to belittle someone who’s simply trying to retrieve their property. What city workers take for granted, regular city dwellers are learning for the first time. City workers need to stop operating on their own time and realize that city dwellers are in a rush, most likely trying to get back to their day jobs.

City dwellers need to gain a better respect of protocol and procedure. City workers are not actively trying to create problems, they’re bound by strict guidelines. City dwellers need to stop asking if they can be the exception to the rule, and need to learn how to be more patient.