Uber and Lyft parking illegally?

The July 14 Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meeting at 400 E. Randolph St. included a lengthy discussion about the alleged dangerous driving habits and illegal parking tendencies of Uber and Lyft drivers.

“Yesterday I saw one of the worst examples ever,” said an attendee. “An Uber dropped a passenger off in the middle of the DuSable Bridge.”

“I saw one drop a handicapped person on the middle of the Michigan Avenue Bridge,” added another.

“I almost whacked a couple of those guys because they made some erratic moves,” claimed a third.

An officer at the meeting stated that he had learned of other alleged problems caused by careless drivers, including “16- or 17-year-old kids getting dropped off for concerts on Lake Shore Drive.”

The convoy of unhappy recollections was prompted by an individual who said that the area in front of her nearby condominium has become a location where Uber and Lyft vehicles frequently violate parking restrictions.

“Is there any kind of additional signage to prevent them from parking in front of my building?” She asked.

Officers encouraged residents to remain conscientious at all times when driving or walking in the neighborhood and to call 311 to report specific tow zones where cars park illegally.

“These guys are driving erratically because they’re holding these devices,” responded an attendee. “You guys gotta enforce that.”

During the month of June, according to the officer who conducted the meeting, police completed ten missions focusing on illegal vehicle operation in the area. They devoted special attention to the middle and lower streets where drag racing is often reported.

The resulting violations included two felonies and ten misdemeanors.

Additionally, an officer apprehended a person for marking the area with grafitti and issued a $1,200 ANOV (administrative notice of violation.)

Besides noticing a slight reduction in the noise eminating from alleged late night illegal drag racing activity, some attendees agreed that the revving engines and screeching tires sound as if they have moved southward, most likely to Congress Parkway.

The neighborhood’s next CAPS meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on August 11th at 130 N. Garland Ct.

— Daniel Patton