After driving thru the new Church/Dodge interesection, my questions are exactly the same as yours. It would seem to me, there will be more car accidents at that intersection. Try driving by on Monday during the school year, about 3:40pm after school lets out, and you will see what I mean. It looks pretty crazy to me.

Let's think this all the way through.... bus cut out has been removed. Where will the bus stop? What happens to the traffic behind the bus? Another problamatic issue is no left turn lane from Church to Dodge... what about all the parents picking their children up from school? Then there is also the parking issue? This clearly was not thought through and the city will have no choice but to correct the problem which is more of our tax dollars wasted.

Just my curiosity, but I would like to to know how much revenue the city brings in a year on the parking meters. The reason I ask, I was remembering when the meters were only a penny, and the downtown area was really buzzing with shoppers. We also had department stores in that area as well, but we still had the same problem of finding a place to park. No one complained about a penny and getting a parking citation. What was taken in a year back then compared to now. It just might be fun to see the difference. Just asking....

Will protected bike lanes be installed on Central also?

I went to Lighthouse Beach with two other moms after finding out Greenwood Beach was closed. I live in the District where Lighthouse is, but due to the fact I was coming from Greenwood, I drove. All of the parking around the beach is designated 2 hour. Everyone in Evanston knows that these designations are to prevent NU students from taking all residential parking. I imagine some are to thwart Evanston Hospital staff as well. Well, it is the middle of July. The parking ploice know that if you are parked around Lighthouse, it is because you are at the beach. All three of us were given $30 tickets. So I suppose the expectation is to unload your car, your things, your children etc., and then EVERY TWO HOURS, repeat. Are you kidding me? I have an Evanston sticker that I paid for, I have my 7 beach passes that I paid for, and now I am ticketed in my own district for being at the beach? It is the most unfriendly city when it comes to parking. We have no good will with any community regarding our parking. It seems like such an easy thing to figure out. How about an Evanston parking pass that is issued with your tokens, allowing you to park an expended time in any beach area? Also, while I am at it, all meters should have the credit card reader as it is now so expensive, you need a roll of quarters just to park for a two hour dinner. Boo to it all!

After living in the police-state that is Chicago parking for 10 years, everything about Evanston parking seems more than reasonable to me.

Parking in Evanston is one of the biggest hassles of living here. For some reason, parking enforcement seems to follow me around and I have been cited several times including once while I was going to a bank to get quarters to feed the meter. Ticketed within 2 minutes of parking! Yet, I always see parking enforcement jeeps parked illegally either in handicap spots or no parking zones when they are getting lunch or stopping to chat with someone.
I agree that if you are an actual resident of Evanston, having paid the tax to have a vehicle here that parking enforcement has to be a little less aggressive.
My wife and I have left Evanston to go shopping in other towns simply because we were afraid to park along the street for fear getting another parking violation.

I, too, rarely shop in Evanston because of the parking costs and parking restrictions.

I haven't fed a parking meter in Evanston in years, except when I feed the expired meter of another person's car just for the pleasure of foiling the parking Nazis. I prefer to walk three or four blocks to avoid metered spaces or do my shopping in Wilmette.

Others above have remarked on the overzealousness of the enforcement people lurking around in their little Jeeps. The enforcers, in my experience, sometimes act like rude little martinets; they should keep in mind that the people they're stalking and sometimes harassing do things like vote in referendums on issues like funding of public pensions.

Evanston needs to adjust parking rates. It's far too inexpensive and residents are being cheated out of revenue. We pay for installation and upkeep for these parking spaces, but we're like landlords with rent-controlled properties.

If you can't find a parking space, it's because the meters aren't charging enough. Other municipalities like Minneapolis are using smart meters that present usage-tuned variable rates, and it's paying off for them. Add credit card readers and set prices to market rates!

Hmm. Let's see. There is a Traffic Institute at Northwestern University. This might be an elementary idea, but why can't the City of Evanston partner with the Traffic Institute at NU and take care of some of these trouble spots around town?

I hear about the Town VERSUS Gown problems between Evanston and NU from time to time. Why not some Town/Gown COOPERATION?? This traffic difficulty near ETHS is not the first situation I've heard about. (And I have two children attending ETHS this year, besides, so I am very interested in the eventual outcome.)

In this specific case, the case of the Church/Dodge intersection, the safety of a great many of our children is at stake, as well as the smooth operation of traffic at very busy times of the day. So, how about it, City of Evanston? How about it, Northwestern? How about a little cooperation?

I have lived in Evanston for almost 3 years now after growing up in Chicago. I honestly don't mind the parking rates/restrictions in the buisness districts because, let's face it, it's the norm. What really ticks me off is the moving of my car twice a week EVERY week in my neighborhood. Seriously? They can't plan one or two days a month and then post a sign? I would much rather move my car the second Tuesday of every month than every week. It's down right inconvenient.

Jim, I love that phrase "vaguely true while being specifically inaccurate." As someone who parks all around the city, I have just been taking my chances with the street sweeping, and making a guess based on whether there are other cars on the street. I'm sure I will get nailed with a ticket some time, though.

For what it's worth, I do know that you can sign up for e-mails from the city on where street sweeping is going on each week at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/ILEVANSTON/subscriber/new

What bothers me is that while I pay for a residential permit in my Central Street area block, it is good for 7-9A.M. only, while every other residential district near a business district in Evanston limits non-residents to two hour parking, the result being that all those who work around my neighborhood get a full day's parking for free, while we residents have to drive around looking for a place to park after we pull up to our doors to unload our packages! Not fair. Furthermore, when signatures were collected years ago complaining about our lack of non-resident restrictions, instead of giving us consideration, the city paid a fortune to an outside consultant who wrote that while residents are bending over backwards to accommodate non resident cars, not to change anything. She took her money and left us in the same position as before, giving the impression she'd been paid to accommodate the Central Street business owners.

I don't think I've seen an article where the comments were almost 100% in agreement with each other. This parking enforcement group should be given the job of cleaning up the gangs because they are ruthless. I'm sitting in an alley next to my apartment building where I have lived for 34 years, my car is running and I am waiting for my wife, A-ticket the Hun, comes up behind me and points to the sign that says No Parking, my feeble attempt at explaining that I wasn't parked but waiting, was to no avail, finally I told him that I knew the city needed the money so go ahead and give me the ticket. Thats when he went furious. We do know that we play roulette when we park there to drop off kids, or groceries or even when folks move.

I am a life long resident of the North Shore. There was a time that I would come into Evanston for a day of strolling...shopping...eating. I would spend alot of money that I could have spent in other villages but I loved my time in Evanston. The cost of parking and parking restrictions has driven me away. The last time I spent the better part of the day looking at my watch to make sure my meter did not run out...or to move my car when my time limit expired. It's stressful and unpleasant. I am now spending my time (and money) in the suburbs that have free parking. The city should consider alternate methods of earning revenue...or at the least have a week day or two of free parking. This has been a topic of discussion between my friends who also do not reside in Evanston...and many feel the same way...so I know I am not the only one! It's Evanston's loss.

My gripe is having to carry two pounds of change around in my car. When will Evanston come into the 21st century and allow payment by credit card or even a city issued parking card would work? Please someone at city hall give Ann Arbor MI a call and find out who redid their parking system. It's GREAT! The spaces are numbered, you go to a kiosk on the block, put in your space number, pay and off you go! No change needed and unlike Chicago, no need to head back to your car to put piece of paper in the window.

There will be less Parking Spots in Downtown Evanston once they finish putting in the protected bike lanes. They plan on taking some for bike parking.

I met with City officials yesterday afternoon to discuss all of the parking issues mentioned above, and they report they're happy to research and address all of them.