Ecology Metering

Clean the Sky - Positive Eco Trends & Breakthroughs

$1/Hour to Park, Eventually $6.50

— December 3, 2008 — Autos
Chicago will raise rates at parking meters to a buck an hour. Wow, this is significant on so many levels.

1. Is this a congestion tax designed to force people to mass transit?
2. The meters will be leased to a private firm, so to make it attractive, the revenue has to be higher.
3. There will be a significant investment to switch out coin-only parking meters to accept bills, or is it dollar coins/credit cards only?

Some of the parking spots will eventually be raised as high as $6.50 per hour in the coming years.

Trend Themes

  1. Congestion Tax — Opportunity to develop innovative solutions that incentivize mass transit usage and reduce congestion.
  2. Private Parking Management — Potential for disruptive innovation in the private parking management industry, as firms seek to attract customers with higher revenue generation.
  3. Contactless Payment — Opportunity for companies to develop advanced payment systems that accept bills, dollar coins, and credit cards, revolutionizing the parking meter industry.

Industry Implications

  1. Public Transportation — Potential for growth in the public transportation industry as congestion tax policies encourage more individuals to utilize mass transit.
  2. Private Parking Management — The rise of private parking management firms presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the industry, as companies seek to optimize revenue generation.
  3. Payment Solutions — The shift towards contactless payment options in the parking meter industry opens up opportunities for disruption in the payment solutions sector.
3.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness