When your team breaks a 108-year record and finally wins the World Series Championship, it's no surprise Chicago Cubs ticket prices go up. Now the city of Chicago will be cashing in on Cubs popularity by raising parking prices around Wrigley Field as well. 

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants to double the parking price for 820 parking spaces around Wrigley Field, and the city is currently hard at work producing signs to execute the Mayor's plan just in time for the start of the Cubs' regular season.

According to the Chicago Sun Times;

The city sign shop is finalizing production of signs that will start going up shortly in an area bounded by the north side of Irving Park Road, the west side of Southport, the south side of Belmont and the east side of Broadway.

Within those boundaries, parking meter rates will double — from $2-an-hour to $4. The new rate will begin two hours before a game, concert or special event at Wrigley, and extend for seven hours.

Since the pay boxes start on the hour, surge pricing would begin “at the hour nearest to” two hours prior to the Cubs game, Wrigley concert or other special event. For example, if the Cubs games starts at 7:05 p.m., the higher parking rate will begin at 5 p.m.

Now, I know what you're thinking, you'll just park on the streets where paid parking ends at 10 p.m. to save a little bit of money, right? Wrong. The city has that figured out too. On days when there at events at Wrigley Field surge pricing will continue beyond 10 p.m. until the seven hour event period is over. The reasoning? Here's what Molly Poppe, a spokeswoman for the Office of Budget and Management in Chicago told the Sun Times;

It’s designed to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow in the area and create competition relative to the parking alternatives in the area. We’ve also heard from businesses that people come and park there for hours and hours on end. It’s designed to encourage turnover at these businesses in and around Wrigleyville.

 

To read more about the new parking rates, and what the city plans to use the increase in revenue for, read the entire Sun Times article here. 

 

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