# Ecology Metering $1/Hour to Park, Eventually $6.50 By Going Like Sixty | Published 2008-12-03 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chicago-dollar-an-hour-parking-meter References: [newsblogs.chicagotribune](http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/12/city-parking-me.html) 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](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bloomington-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](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/multicurrency-vending-machine), 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 Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.5/10 - Popularity: 18% | Activity: 80% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Congestion Tax:** Opportunity to develop innovative solutions that incentivize mass transit usage and reduce congestion. - **Private Parking Management:** Potential for disruptive innovation in the private parking management industry, as firms seek to attract customers with higher revenue generation. - **Contactless Payment:** Opportunity for companies to develop advanced payment systems that accept bills, dollar coins, and credit cards, revolutionizing the parking meter industry. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Public Transportation:** Potential for growth in the public transportation industry as congestion tax policies encourage more individuals to utilize mass transit. - **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. - **Payment Solutions:** The shift towards contactless payment options in the parking meter industry opens up opportunities for disruption in the payment solutions sector. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Motorist Money-Saving Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/moneysaving-app.md) - [European City Tourist Taxes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/venices-tourist-tax.md) - [Pole-Mounted EV Chargers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/national-grid.md) - [Venue-Specific Parking Solutions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/century-ii.md) - [Sustainable EV Charging Stations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/change-wind-corporation.md) - [Hyper-Fast Charging Stations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/charging-station-1.md) - [Simulation Parking Lot Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/car-park-capital.md) - [Peer-to-Peer Parking Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/valay-park.md) - [Airport EV Charging Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/powerflex.md)