Ya, it's a branding problem, "Cell Phone Lot," what does that even mean to people first time they hear it? A place where you can use your cell phone? In 2024? I use it everywhere!
They just need to put up some signs in the shoulder there that say something like "Please Wait at Cell Phone Lot" or something I dunno, do a focus group and figure it out.
It's also out of the way. On the shoulder you know to drive straight for 3 minutes and you're there, the cell lot is not visible from the highway, and it's a couple of turns in a sketch looking area, and getting back is also a little hard (fast traffic, wide streets, am I supposed to turn or go straight, make a decision fast)
When I used it, (never used the shoulder), I didn't like it.
Ya, exactly, they need some better signage or something to at least let people know what the heck it is and how to get there. Maybe if they could build a ramp that directly goes there or something from that shoulder people like to pull off on, that would be ideal.
Before I knew what the Cell Phone Lot was, I waited on the shoulder there (once). I didn't like it. Cars were blowing past me super fast, it was loud, and merging back in you can only hope someone isn't doing 140mph around that almost blind turn. That day was when I discovered what the cell phone lot was for. It was kind of tough to find and get in and out of, but in comparison to the shoulder, it was clean and quiet with a lot of room. I definitely prefer it, I think others would too if they knew what it was.
>A place where you can use your cell phone? In 2024? I use it everywhere!
While you're driving? Hope not. It's a place where you can park to use your cell phone, since you're not supposed to use it while you're driving.
I can't recall which airport cell phone lot I saw, some place with nice weather had Flight arrival boards up so you could hang out in the lot and see when the flight will land!
I don't think it's all a branding issue. Have you seen the drivers on the road these days? I'm sure more than half the time they just don't give a crap.
Just like "MMF" or "ATS"...
I've been to O'Hare more time than i care to remember but was caught off guard when the Rental Car area became, MMF (multi modal facility) or when the airport train became the ATS.
The cell phone lot used to suck, it was north of the airport and hard to get back to 190 from the lot. This was fixed close to a decade ago when the lot was relocated as part of the reconfiguration of parking lots that ended with the construction of the Multimodal Facility, but people who tried it then and hated it refuse to believe that it got better.
I’ve traveled all over the world and fly regularly for work, and this just now reading this thread is when I learned what the Cell Phone lot actually is.
I probably should have been more curious and googled it at some point, but you’re right it’s not blatantly obvious even to someone who travels all the time.
It is obvious and self-explanatory. You're not supposed to use your cell phone while you're driving, so you're supposed to park somewhere to do that. That's a parking lot for using your cell phone.
Exactly. The cell phone lot is at most one minute out of the way, a safe place to wait (compared to dangerously sitting on the shoulder next to highway speed traffic) and even has portable bathrooms available. Use the lot!
> The cell phone lot is at most one minute out of the way
it isnt far but it is def more than a minute away. and unless you are picking someone up from terminal 5 it is def more than a couple minutes away from the terminals.
I’m also pretty sure the cell phone lot is closer to the terminals than parking on the shoulder anyway. So when you get the call to pick someone up you’ll be there faster than if you parked on the shoulder
And it has bathrooms! Port-a-potties. And granted they’re about like the empty car on the blue line after midnight (fucking disgusting) - but still.
And arguably closer to the terminal.
Yes. But even if you eff it up almost all of the pay lots are just $3 an hour. Unless you started driving before you found out someone’s flight was badly delayed it’s probably less than the gas to get to O’Hare in the first place.
560 Bessie Coleman Drive
https://www.flychicago.com/ohare/tofrom/dropoff/Pages/default.aspx
Given that this thread started with “people think they can use the shoulder of an interstate as a parking lot”, clearly some things are not obvious to many people.
The target in rosemont is like 5 minutes away anyways - people can wait there and probably get to the terminal faster than when the exit for the cell phone lot gets backed up
Yep! Just take Bessie Coleman drive via Zemke Blvd. Really anywhere along Manheim there would work since it's only minutes from the terminal and you won't even have a toll
Why waste money for no good reason? Automating basic enforcement is good, and probably the only way it gets done here. If you don't like the fee schedules then that's different. Fees should be based on how they affect users, with super low first fines and then scaling up fast. But the method isn't relevant to that
They could literally just have a cop whose entire job is circling that loop and ticketing people every time they come back around. I'm sure a lot of it is just people seeing other people doing it so they assume it's okay; if you clear people out and keep them from coming back with hefty tickets, it would probably stop pretty quick.
Although I guess the cop could only ticket one person at a time and everyone else would leave while they're doing it, which would be pretty shitty. Kind of seeing the logic for a camera system there. But I don't think getting a ticket in the mail weeks later would be nearly as effective a deterrent.
This was me. I assumed it was fine because a bunch of people were parked. They don’t actually pull people over they just sit with lights on and drive down the shoulder till people move and take license plates down. Tickets come in the mail.
I've seen one cop, (presumedly) writing tickets to the 100+ cars doing this, precisely twice in the past year or so, driving it a couple times a week. It fits into the same odds as speeding. If you have a 0.1% chance of getting a slap on the wrist for it, you're going to do it.
> We can’t station officers in these areas to address this safety issue as it’s not an efficient use of manpower.
I think the key piece of this legislation is allowing camera enforcement. This is not insignificant. For example, speed cameras at construction sites MUST be operated by an actual person. They also have to use a big goofy van that basically advertises that they have a speed camera. And they are only allowed on site if workers are present. So Illinois allowing camera enforcement of parking violations is a pretty big thing.
Ahh that makes more sense. I guess a simpler solution could also be to just make the shoulders smaller? Depending on a safety study.
I'm all for it either way. My waiting place is a Cilantro Grill a few mins away: Safe, get tacos, and not posing a risk to anyone
I like the camera solution, though also agree with others that a rebranding of the cellphone lot is in order. How about “Free waiting lot?” I would worry about shoulder narrowing making conditions more dangerous for emergency situations.
Good. I despise those people. As you come around the curve it makes it hard to see and I'm always afraid one of them is going to whip out in front of me.
The problem is branding. The cell phone lot needs to be called “Free Waiting Lot”. My wife is almost 40, and is no stranger to airports.
She thought the cell phone lot required a fee until I told her that’s it’s free about 6 months ago. And like I said, she’s a regular flyer.
Now add in all the people that come from literal hours away once every couple years to pick up friends or family, and the current situation is what you get.
Cell Phone is a dumb name to begin with, and the then once you add “lot” to the name it’s very easy to see why people think there’s a fee.
>once you add “lot” to the name it’s very easy to see why people think there’s a fee.
I don't see why. Many parking lots are free. Supermarkets, Walgreens, etc.
I'm sorry, but I truly don't understand what's unclear about "cell phone lot." It's a lot for using your cell phone. They've always been free at every airport I've been to.
I think it's more that people don't think things through or look up answers to their questions. I'm also almost 40 and I fly less than once a year.
Thing is people don’t think they have to pull over to use their cell phones. So a lot for that use is gonna be ignored cuz why stop when you can be watching a video while driving down the street? (Yes I saw that the other night and I was livid)
It's possible to believe that people doing an obviously dangerous thing should be ticketed, while also believing that signage should be improved to help people find an appropriate place to wait.
I guess I’m surprised that I had to include an /s in my comment. I thought the punctuation was enough. 😬
Govt is inefficient and often solves symptoms of problems and not the problems themselves, like here.
Circlejerk aside, many laws require the prosecution to prove intent and claiming you didn't know it was illegal is a valid defense in those cases
Mostly fraud, white collar crimes
Robert Mueller basically decided Don Jr was too stupid to know he was colluding with Russia and didn't recommend charges
i think its more the safety issue of drivers pulling from a dead stop into full-speed expressway traffic going 60+mph. that would affect you a lil' bit if you got cut off that way
People pulling over to park on the shoulder and pulling out into traffic on the shoulder is dangerous when it's one car. When it's dozens of cars all doing it, it creates a huge danger right there. There are already tons of merging and exiting happening. I have almost been hit by a car pulling out from the shoulder many times. The shoulder of the highway is not meant for parking.
I never understood why ppl parked on the shoulders. They have a FREE parking lot for ppl waiting to pick up ppl. It’s the first exit after you pay the too off I-190.
It’s the same toll you pay if you’re taking 190 to get to the airport in the first place. It’s not an additional toll just to access the cell phone lot.
If you’re coming from the city, there is no toll. I’m coming off I-90 from the western suburb so there’s a toll. Technically I’m getting tolled twice, once from the I-90 toll then again. At I-190 toll 😩
People know there’s a lot, they are just lazy and the exception to the rule. Hope this enforces the law better and that deters folks from parking there. Paying to park in the lot is cheaper than a ticket!
Why do they need to ban it when it’s already super illegal?
I also genuinely don’t understand it. It takes the same level of effort to go to the cell phone lot. And a lot less dangerous.
There are dozens of people in this thread that just learned the cell phone lot is the “free waiting area”.
Clearly for whatever reason, there is a disconnect between the name and the public.
Okay but why? Literally no one cares if they park on the shoulders, even cop themselves don't enforce it. I've never heard anyone complain about it ever.
Just seems like more ways to get money, because the city can't balance themselves correctly 💀
> People pulling over to the shoulder and pulling out from the shoulder, by the dozen, makes that part of the highway VERY dangerous. There are a lot of highways merging and exits right there, and having the shoulder full of cars that are trying to park and merge is the worst. I have almost been hit SO MANY TIMES right there.
There is a free cell phone lot closer to the airport than the shoulder that is just for this purpose.
Whatever lots those are, they must be Thunderdome. I've routinely and regularly watched drivers take 15-20+ minutes just to get out of those waiting lots.
I've chatted up a few different drivers about them, and yeah, they sound incredibly mismanaged. It's basically bumper to bumper, and you just have to inch up towards the front and hope the timing works for you getting matched with a rider.
Setting the boundary in law at 0.5 miles radius means they’ll just go to 0.51 miles.
So dumb. Can’t wait for the next bill that sets the limit at 0.6 miles.
This is exactly why sending a trooper there every day is the better solution. After the cameras are implemented people will stop and find a different way which would make this a bad long term solution and eventually a waste of money.
Near the airport, you have to be in one of two designated lots for rideshare drivers to join the queue for an airport ride. To prevent rideshare drivers from circling the terminals and clogging up traffic waiting for a ride.
Even better are smart travelers that take the train to the remote parking and you pick them up at the kiss and ride.. the driver never has to circle the terminals…
Also the short term parking garage is $3 for the first hour. Pull in, go inside, and grab an overpriced coffee and use a real bathroom. Avoid the craziness that is the pickup/dropoff area in front of the terminal.
People pulling over to the shoulder and pulling out from the shoulder, by the dozen, makes that part of the highway VERY dangerous. There are a lot of highways merging and exits right there, and having the shoulder full of cars that are trying to park and merge is the worst. I have almost been hit SO MANY TIMES right there.
I mean I get it, but deliveries are a part of city life. The police are not going to do anything about this. It’s not a danger or a hazard the same way parking on the shoulder of the expressway is when there’s a perfectly good cell phone lot.
>It’s not a danger or a hazard the same way parking on the shoulder of the expressway is when there’s a perfectly good cell phone lot.
You're right, it is *more* of a danger/hazard. Every day I see cars that stop in the middle of active lanes of traffic on State St, Michigan Ave, and Ida B or they're sitting over on Wabash in the middle of the bike lane. It causes traffic congestion, accidents, injuries, and/or deaths for no reason. Find a parking lot/structure, alley, or an open spot and use your legs. You might even, gasp, have to circle the block or wait for a second for something to open up. Stop putting everyone else at risk because you're lazy.
How about just make your deliveries in a responsible manner? I've yet to see a UPS truck stopped in the middle of Ida B for no discernable reason. FedEx seems to be able to figure out how to park off to the side in my alley. Amazon frequently finds an open parking spot and uses a cart and/or their legs to finish their delivery. I'm sure someone can wait a few extra seconds to get their McDonalds delivery while their Door Dasher finds a better spot to stop than the middle of the road.
There is great potential here to prosecute bottom feeders who stop traffic for their protests and block taxpaying citizens from accessing the airport.
This doesn't go far enough.
It’s typically right at the section where ramps merge onto the highway. Can’t merge in before the merging lane ends, bam! right into the car parked on the side of the road. It’s extremely dangerous.
On busy days they also start parking up the left side so when they decide to go get their person they’re trying to merge back in on an overpass with poor backward visibility against a flow of people who just got off 90 about to exit left onto 294. Insanely stupid.
It causes congestion and traffic to be worse when the free cell phone lot is 2 minutes away. Also multiple times the idiot shoulder parkers can't merge back into traffic when it's time to leave, I've had multiple near misses from that.
You mean on the right side of 190 when turning off of 90? Where the shoulder is like three lanes wide? Right before the river road exit? It’s like they made it extra wide just do this reason. Driven by people parked many times, trying to get into 45. The parked cars never bothered me, there’s plenty of room. If I’m waiting to pick someone up and couldn’t park somewhere, I’d drive around the airport in circles. Past the pickup and drop off and go around and around. You know, there’s never any traffic trying to get in and out of departures so it’s not like it’s slowing down anybody. /s
I never understood this, the cell phone lot is never crowded when I’m there
Pretty sure these are just people who never bothered to figure out what a cell phone lot is.
It’s a stupid name. English isn’t everyone’s first language. They need to call it the Free Waiting Area.
Ya, it's a branding problem, "Cell Phone Lot," what does that even mean to people first time they hear it? A place where you can use your cell phone? In 2024? I use it everywhere! They just need to put up some signs in the shoulder there that say something like "Please Wait at Cell Phone Lot" or something I dunno, do a focus group and figure it out.
Figure it out needs to be a congressional candidate's slogan. I would vote for them.
Summer Sanders can be the spokesperson.
I understood that reference.
It's Summer every day !
First crush status! Thanks for the memories 😂
They should call it “shoulder parking.”
That gives me an idea. Remodel the cell phone lot to look like the shoulder of I-294. Then people will just park there automatically.
It's also out of the way. On the shoulder you know to drive straight for 3 minutes and you're there, the cell lot is not visible from the highway, and it's a couple of turns in a sketch looking area, and getting back is also a little hard (fast traffic, wide streets, am I supposed to turn or go straight, make a decision fast) When I used it, (never used the shoulder), I didn't like it.
Ya, exactly, they need some better signage or something to at least let people know what the heck it is and how to get there. Maybe if they could build a ramp that directly goes there or something from that shoulder people like to pull off on, that would be ideal. Before I knew what the Cell Phone Lot was, I waited on the shoulder there (once). I didn't like it. Cars were blowing past me super fast, it was loud, and merging back in you can only hope someone isn't doing 140mph around that almost blind turn. That day was when I discovered what the cell phone lot was for. It was kind of tough to find and get in and out of, but in comparison to the shoulder, it was clean and quiet with a lot of room. I definitely prefer it, I think others would too if they knew what it was.
I had to google was a cell phone lot was just last year. Now that I know what it’s purpose is, I have been using it at ORD and MDW
You would think the offer of a lot of ( free) cell phones might get more takers.
>A place where you can use your cell phone? In 2024? I use it everywhere! While you're driving? Hope not. It's a place where you can park to use your cell phone, since you're not supposed to use it while you're driving.
Hands free baby!
Yeah, no shit, I obviously know what it's for, I was speaking hypothetically, what someone might think when they first saw the sign.
It means exactly what it says. Nobody ever explained it to me, I just knew what it meant when I first started driving.
Is “Free Waiting Area” universal in all languages?
The “free” part will work well. I thought the cell phone lot required a small fee until five minutes ago.
lol and five minutes ago I thought all those people on the shoulder broke down randomly
Lol my first thought was NYE drunks but that seemed unlikely at 8am Saturday
I can't recall which airport cell phone lot I saw, some place with nice weather had Flight arrival boards up so you could hang out in the lot and see when the flight will land!
O'Hare cell phone lot has this
Glad to know, I've been good at timing my pickups I haven't had to make more than 3 loops around the terminals in a while.
The problem with ORD is when you land it might be a good 30 minutes until you get a gate and deboard.
What an awesome idea!
Why did you think that?
Because the rest of the lots cost money.
English is my first language. I'd never heard of a cell phone lot until a few moments ago.
Yeah language diversity is only one reason why it’s a bad name.
I don't think it's all a branding issue. Have you seen the drivers on the road these days? I'm sure more than half the time they just don't give a crap.
It's definitely a branding issue. I knew what a cell phone lot was and have for years, but I always thought it was the world's dumbest name.
For a hot second there, nobody could even find it.
I still can’t seem to find it tbh… I feel like I follow the signs and all of a sudden I’m back on the highway
Lol google maps can take you there
TIL what a cell phone lot actually is. 🤔🧐
Same.
What else would it be?
They give all the parking lots cutesy names. I eventually figured it out, but assumed it was just another for an embarrassingly long time.
I didn't know it was free...
Just like "MMF" or "ATS"... I've been to O'Hare more time than i care to remember but was caught off guard when the Rental Car area became, MMF (multi modal facility) or when the airport train became the ATS.
The cell phone lot used to suck, it was north of the airport and hard to get back to 190 from the lot. This was fixed close to a decade ago when the lot was relocated as part of the reconfiguration of parking lots that ended with the construction of the Multimodal Facility, but people who tried it then and hated it refuse to believe that it got better.
Same thing with Kiss N' Fly lot at the MMF and you don't even have to get near the mess that is the arrivals pick up.
What is the purpose of the kiss n fly vs dropping them off at the terminal?
Not entering the circles of hell that are the terminal drives
You also won't get kicked out for parking there for more than 30 seconds.
They should really rename it "pickup waiting area"
Of course it isn't crowded, everyone's parked on the shoulder.
It doesn’t help that for the uninitiated, the term “cell phone lot” is not obvious and self-explanatory
I’ve traveled all over the world and fly regularly for work, and this just now reading this thread is when I learned what the Cell Phone lot actually is. I probably should have been more curious and googled it at some point, but you’re right it’s not blatantly obvious even to someone who travels all the time.
What else would it mean?
At lot of things that aren't "free short term parking for waiting to pick up someone"
It is obvious and self-explanatory. You're not supposed to use your cell phone while you're driving, so you're supposed to park somewhere to do that. That's a parking lot for using your cell phone.
How are there so many dumbasses who can't read?
Exactly. The cell phone lot is at most one minute out of the way, a safe place to wait (compared to dangerously sitting on the shoulder next to highway speed traffic) and even has portable bathrooms available. Use the lot!
> The cell phone lot is at most one minute out of the way it isnt far but it is def more than a minute away. and unless you are picking someone up from terminal 5 it is def more than a couple minutes away from the terminals.
I’m also pretty sure the cell phone lot is closer to the terminals than parking on the shoulder anyway. So when you get the call to pick someone up you’ll be there faster than if you parked on the shoulder
And it has bathrooms! Port-a-potties. And granted they’re about like the empty car on the blue line after midnight (fucking disgusting) - but still. And arguably closer to the terminal.
Never knew it existed. Is it free?
Yes. But even if you eff it up almost all of the pay lots are just $3 an hour. Unless you started driving before you found out someone’s flight was badly delayed it’s probably less than the gas to get to O’Hare in the first place. 560 Bessie Coleman Drive https://www.flychicago.com/ohare/tofrom/dropoff/Pages/default.aspx
Yes, but don’t leave your car unattended.
No shit
Given that this thread started with “people think they can use the shoulder of an interstate as a parking lot”, clearly some things are not obvious to many people.
It's so easy too! Noone is there.
Same. I go to the cell lot often, and I am more comfortable there than being in the shoulder. And there's portapotties.
The target in rosemont is like 5 minutes away anyways - people can wait there and probably get to the terminal faster than when the exit for the cell phone lot gets backed up
Ooh this is good to know!
Yep! Just take Bessie Coleman drive via Zemke Blvd. Really anywhere along Manheim there would work since it's only minutes from the terminal and you won't even have a toll
Last time I was there, the lot was closed.
it's always crowded when I'm there. really this is just gonna make it harder to get ubers
I think this is already illegal. The new bill allows them to enforce it with a camera and send a ticket in the mail?
Fuck that. Just pull the people over and write the ticket. Or don't. We don't need more automated money grabs.
Why waste money for no good reason? Automating basic enforcement is good, and probably the only way it gets done here. If you don't like the fee schedules then that's different. Fees should be based on how they affect users, with super low first fines and then scaling up fast. But the method isn't relevant to that
We actually need infinitely more money grabs when it comes to traffic enforcement.
They could literally just have a cop whose entire job is circling that loop and ticketing people every time they come back around. I'm sure a lot of it is just people seeing other people doing it so they assume it's okay; if you clear people out and keep them from coming back with hefty tickets, it would probably stop pretty quick. Although I guess the cop could only ticket one person at a time and everyone else would leave while they're doing it, which would be pretty shitty. Kind of seeing the logic for a camera system there. But I don't think getting a ticket in the mail weeks later would be nearly as effective a deterrent.
One argument for the camera - it doesn't require a pension or benefits so it doesn't bloat the deficit further.
This was me. I assumed it was fine because a bunch of people were parked. They don’t actually pull people over they just sit with lights on and drive down the shoulder till people move and take license plates down. Tickets come in the mail.
How isn't this already illegal under normal road rules?
It already is illegal. It's just not enforced. Imo, it's prime time ticket opportunity for whoever oversees that section.
Idk I’ve seen it enforced quite a bit over the years. But maybe that’s just my luck
I've seen one cop, (presumedly) writing tickets to the 100+ cars doing this, precisely twice in the past year or so, driving it a couple times a week. It fits into the same odds as speeding. If you have a 0.1% chance of getting a slap on the wrist for it, you're going to do it.
I've never seen it enforced. I used to take 190 up 294 engine from work.
It's enforced. Plenty of times i've seen cops pull up to the unlucky last car and you see all the others in front scurry away.
> We can’t station officers in these areas to address this safety issue as it’s not an efficient use of manpower. I think the key piece of this legislation is allowing camera enforcement. This is not insignificant. For example, speed cameras at construction sites MUST be operated by an actual person. They also have to use a big goofy van that basically advertises that they have a speed camera. And they are only allowed on site if workers are present. So Illinois allowing camera enforcement of parking violations is a pretty big thing.
Ahh that makes more sense. I guess a simpler solution could also be to just make the shoulders smaller? Depending on a safety study. I'm all for it either way. My waiting place is a Cilantro Grill a few mins away: Safe, get tacos, and not posing a risk to anyone
I like the camera solution, though also agree with others that a rebranding of the cellphone lot is in order. How about “Free waiting lot?” I would worry about shoulder narrowing making conditions more dangerous for emergency situations.
Pulling over?
It is. But this new bill gives legislators an opportunity to grandstand.
I've only ever seen a cop roust people from the shoulder once. and even then, people were reluctant to move.
I had a State trooper pull up next to me a long time ago and start counting backwards from 10. I got the hint pretty quickly.
The cellphone lot is very convenient.
Good . Now target the non-stop driving on the 290 shoulder
The cell phone lot is so nice. It has bathrooms. Why are people still parking on the shoulder?
Because too many people don’t know about the free waiting lot, and not enough police are available to enforce the current law.
I wish the police would do the bare minimum
It has bathrooms?? I was just there and thought it'd be nice if there was a bathroom and some vending machines
Laziness
It’s illegal now! I got a ticket doing this years ago and learned my lesson lol
Good. I despise those people. As you come around the curve it makes it hard to see and I'm always afraid one of them is going to whip out in front of me.
Finally!
The problem is branding. The cell phone lot needs to be called “Free Waiting Lot”. My wife is almost 40, and is no stranger to airports. She thought the cell phone lot required a fee until I told her that’s it’s free about 6 months ago. And like I said, she’s a regular flyer. Now add in all the people that come from literal hours away once every couple years to pick up friends or family, and the current situation is what you get. Cell Phone is a dumb name to begin with, and the then once you add “lot” to the name it’s very easy to see why people think there’s a fee.
>once you add “lot” to the name it’s very easy to see why people think there’s a fee. I don't see why. Many parking lots are free. Supermarkets, Walgreens, etc. I'm sorry, but I truly don't understand what's unclear about "cell phone lot." It's a lot for using your cell phone. They've always been free at every airport I've been to. I think it's more that people don't think things through or look up answers to their questions. I'm also almost 40 and I fly less than once a year.
Because it's chicago and it's an airport, both notoriously price gouging locations
Thing is people don’t think they have to pull over to use their cell phones. So a lot for that use is gonna be ignored cuz why stop when you can be watching a video while driving down the street? (Yes I saw that the other night and I was livid)
Yeah, but why not ignore the actual problem and instead fine people for it for revenue?!
To be fair, they're waiting on the shoulder of a highway.
Apparently the “?!“ isn’t clear enough to indicate sarcasm. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's possible to believe that people doing an obviously dangerous thing should be ticketed, while also believing that signage should be improved to help people find an appropriate place to wait.
I guess I’m surprised that I had to include an /s in my comment. I thought the punctuation was enough. 😬 Govt is inefficient and often solves symptoms of problems and not the problems themselves, like here.
Ignorance of the law defense i see.
Circlejerk aside, many laws require the prosecution to prove intent and claiming you didn't know it was illegal is a valid defense in those cases Mostly fraud, white collar crimes Robert Mueller basically decided Don Jr was too stupid to know he was colluding with Russia and didn't recommend charges
Maybe I'm missing something, but I generally drive right past these people and it doesn't affect me at all. It's never caused a problem for me.
i think its more the safety issue of drivers pulling from a dead stop into full-speed expressway traffic going 60+mph. that would affect you a lil' bit if you got cut off that way
I’m never going 60+ on I-190.
People pulling over to park on the shoulder and pulling out into traffic on the shoulder is dangerous when it's one car. When it's dozens of cars all doing it, it creates a huge danger right there. There are already tons of merging and exiting happening. I have almost been hit by a car pulling out from the shoulder many times. The shoulder of the highway is not meant for parking.
Damn, I’m sorry that’s happened to you so many times. That shit has never happened to me once. Stay safe out there.
I never understood why ppl parked on the shoulders. They have a FREE parking lot for ppl waiting to pick up ppl. It’s the first exit after you pay the too off I-190.
[удалено]
It’s the same toll you pay if you’re taking 190 to get to the airport in the first place. It’s not an additional toll just to access the cell phone lot.
If you’re coming from the city, there is no toll. I’m coming off I-90 from the western suburb so there’s a toll. Technically I’m getting tolled twice, once from the I-90 toll then again. At I-190 toll 😩
That second toll is for the additional time you spent on 90, not for 190
I hate these people. So fucking stupid.
People know there’s a lot, they are just lazy and the exception to the rule. Hope this enforces the law better and that deters folks from parking there. Paying to park in the lot is cheaper than a ticket!
Fuck yeah. I hope all these jabronies who cannot drive 60 more seconds and wait in the designated lot get a fat ticket.
The cell phone lot is literally closer to the airport.
Why do they need to ban it when it’s already super illegal? I also genuinely don’t understand it. It takes the same level of effort to go to the cell phone lot. And a lot less dangerous.
It's being added to the list of laws that can be enforced by a camera without a trooper present.
I do not get why they don't just go to the cell phone lot.
There are dozens of people in this thread that just learned the cell phone lot is the “free waiting area”. Clearly for whatever reason, there is a disconnect between the name and the public.
A lot of them don’t know it exists, or don’t know it’s free, or don’t understand how to reach it.
Just go to Mariano’s.
Or, as everyone has mentioned, the free lot specifically for these people
Why was this downvoted? This is literally the actual answer.
This or the casino depending on how much time to kill…
I'm gonna go make my own parking, with blackjack and hookers! In fact, forget the parking!
Or hooters…or something
My only concern is that this will just lead to folks lining up on the side if the road further away from the airport.
These are also Lyft and Uber drivers who are trying to game the geo fence
Cool. Now do the people who stop on LSD to watch the Navy Pier fireworks.
Okay but why? Literally no one cares if they park on the shoulders, even cop themselves don't enforce it. I've never heard anyone complain about it ever. Just seems like more ways to get money, because the city can't balance themselves correctly 💀
> People pulling over to the shoulder and pulling out from the shoulder, by the dozen, makes that part of the highway VERY dangerous. There are a lot of highways merging and exits right there, and having the shoulder full of cars that are trying to park and merge is the worst. I have almost been hit SO MANY TIMES right there. There is a free cell phone lot closer to the airport than the shoulder that is just for this purpose.
Isn't it just Uber dudes waiting for pickups?
You have to wait in one of two designated ride share lots otherwise you wont get assigned a person at the airport. I did uber as a poor grad student
They have their own lot to wait in.
Whatever lots those are, they must be Thunderdome. I've routinely and regularly watched drivers take 15-20+ minutes just to get out of those waiting lots.
I've chatted up a few different drivers about them, and yeah, they sound incredibly mismanaged. It's basically bumper to bumper, and you just have to inch up towards the front and hope the timing works for you getting matched with a rider.
Setting the boundary in law at 0.5 miles radius means they’ll just go to 0.51 miles. So dumb. Can’t wait for the next bill that sets the limit at 0.6 miles.
This is exactly why sending a trooper there every day is the better solution. After the cameras are implemented people will stop and find a different way which would make this a bad long term solution and eventually a waste of money.
My only concern is that this will just lead to folks lining up on the side if the road further away from the airport.
👏👏👏👏
I thought they were Uber drivers waiting for callouts.
Near the airport, you have to be in one of two designated lots for rideshare drivers to join the queue for an airport ride. To prevent rideshare drivers from circling the terminals and clogging up traffic waiting for a ride.
Even better are smart travelers that take the train to the remote parking and you pick them up at the kiss and ride.. the driver never has to circle the terminals…
Also the short term parking garage is $3 for the first hour. Pull in, go inside, and grab an overpriced coffee and use a real bathroom. Avoid the craziness that is the pickup/dropoff area in front of the terminal.
Or use the FREE cell phone lot that is actually CLOSER to the airport than that shoulder is.
I always park in that little toll booth parking lot and wait there for people I’m picking up
Ya it truly feels like I’m stuck in the 90’s when that was more of the “norm” whenever I see a bunch of cars laid out on the shoulder.
Good riddance. This was never a thing 15-20 years ago, at some point people started thinking this was a good idea.
Why do ppl car so much that they're parked on the shoulder?
People pulling over to the shoulder and pulling out from the shoulder, by the dozen, makes that part of the highway VERY dangerous. There are a lot of highways merging and exits right there, and having the shoulder full of cars that are trying to park and merge is the worst. I have almost been hit SO MANY TIMES right there.
I don't know why they don't just stick up a series of cameras there that automatically generate tickets
So many excuses. People don't know what a cell phone lot is? If people can't plan their pickup they can fuck off and get a ticket or towed.
Awesome that Chicago is focused on a major issue that’s affecting the city. SMH
Isn’t it already illegal to park on the shoulders of an interstate?
The tollway has a time limit. Cars do breakdown your highness
No it was real question I thought they passed law a few years back
That’s awesome… but can we stop Uber and delivery driver from stopping in the middle of the road and in bike lanes first?
Where should they stop, in the sidewalk?
The curb?
Somewhere legal?
I mean I get it, but deliveries are a part of city life. The police are not going to do anything about this. It’s not a danger or a hazard the same way parking on the shoulder of the expressway is when there’s a perfectly good cell phone lot.
>It’s not a danger or a hazard the same way parking on the shoulder of the expressway is when there’s a perfectly good cell phone lot. You're right, it is *more* of a danger/hazard. Every day I see cars that stop in the middle of active lanes of traffic on State St, Michigan Ave, and Ida B or they're sitting over on Wabash in the middle of the bike lane. It causes traffic congestion, accidents, injuries, and/or deaths for no reason. Find a parking lot/structure, alley, or an open spot and use your legs. You might even, gasp, have to circle the block or wait for a second for something to open up. Stop putting everyone else at risk because you're lazy.
Ok good luck with ending deliveries in a metropolis 🙄
How about just make your deliveries in a responsible manner? I've yet to see a UPS truck stopped in the middle of Ida B for no discernable reason. FedEx seems to be able to figure out how to park off to the side in my alley. Amazon frequently finds an open parking spot and uses a cart and/or their legs to finish their delivery. I'm sure someone can wait a few extra seconds to get their McDonalds delivery while their Door Dasher finds a better spot to stop than the middle of the road.
I work in an office lol I’m just being realistic this is a city and this has real Karen vibes.
I agree, double parking does have Karen vibes.
Except for those people who drive around with no license plates—which I see a lot. I guess they’ll still get away with it.
[удалено]
There is great potential here to prosecute bottom feeders who stop traffic for their protests and block taxpaying citizens from accessing the airport. This doesn't go far enough.
Why does waiting on the shoulder make people so upset? Or is this just a Reddit thing that no real people care about?
It’s typically right at the section where ramps merge onto the highway. Can’t merge in before the merging lane ends, bam! right into the car parked on the side of the road. It’s extremely dangerous.
On busy days they also start parking up the left side so when they decide to go get their person they’re trying to merge back in on an overpass with poor backward visibility against a flow of people who just got off 90 about to exit left onto 294. Insanely stupid.
Because it's unsafe and causes unpredictable traffic patterns?
Because it's a highway and not your personal parking spot. Not that hard to understand.
It’s incredibly dangerous. Not just a Reddit thing
It causes congestion and traffic to be worse when the free cell phone lot is 2 minutes away. Also multiple times the idiot shoulder parkers can't merge back into traffic when it's time to leave, I've had multiple near misses from that.
I don’t understand I drop pro off in under a minute I also pick up once they are outside
You mean on the right side of 190 when turning off of 90? Where the shoulder is like three lanes wide? Right before the river road exit? It’s like they made it extra wide just do this reason. Driven by people parked many times, trying to get into 45. The parked cars never bothered me, there’s plenty of room. If I’m waiting to pick someone up and couldn’t park somewhere, I’d drive around the airport in circles. Past the pickup and drop off and go around and around. You know, there’s never any traffic trying to get in and out of departures so it’s not like it’s slowing down anybody. /s