No more driving in circles at airports

Chicago's airports soon will have free parking lots where drivers picking up passengers will be able to wait for a cell phone call before pulling up to the "arrivals" lanes.

The lots, located within five minutes of the terminals at O'Hare International and Midway Airports, open Monday, providing areas for motorists to wait without having to pay to park, waste precious gas or risk ticketing and towing.

The new so-called "cell phone lots" are opening as aviation officials are predicting what could be the busiest air travel season nationwide since 2000.

"It would sure beat circling the airport or getting tickets from the police," said traveler Mike Desmond of Oak Park, who encountered his first cell phone lot recently when he flew to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.

More than 30 U.S. airports have similar lots, part of an effort to tighten security after the terrorist attacks in 2001, according to Airports Council International of North America.

Los Angeles International Airport was among the first, and General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee opened a cell phone lot last year.

Officials acknowledge it is long overdue in Chicago. At O'Hare, about 50,000 vehicles a day tie up traffic and belch emissions as they pass along the roadways outside the terminals, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

"This is something that is desperately needed at O'Hare and Midway to improve safety, reduce pollution caused by idling vehicles and deter drivers from circling numerous times around the terminal core or stopping on the shoulder of [Interstate Highway 190 at O'Hare] to wait for the call," said Chicago Aviation Commissioner Nuria Fernandez.

From the dawn of the jet age until the 2001 terrorist attacks, people picking up family members or friends at the airport would often pay to park then walk to the terminal to meet their travelers at the gate with a kiss and a hug.

The custom ended when access to the concourses was restricted to ticketed passengers after the attacks.

Concerns about car-bombers outside terminals led to stepped-up enforcement of no-parking rules on the roadway outside baggage claim areas. That has led to runaround and confusion in the arrivals lanes.

The cell phone lot at O'Hare has 150 spaces carved out of economy parking Lot F, off Bessie Coleman Drive. Signs directing drivers to the lot are posted on Mannheim and Zemke Roads and on I-190.

Lot F, which was closed after the steep decline in air travel after 2001, is reopening to handle the surge in O'Hare travelers. The lot has about 3,000 spaces.

The 90-space cell phone lot at Midway is at 61st Street and Cicero Avenue, south of the main airport entrance. Signs were scheduled to be installed over the weekend on Cicero Avenue and the roadway outside the terminal, officials said.

Drivers waiting in the cell phone lots must remain in their vehicles, and parking in the lots is limited to one hour, officials said. Violators will be ticketed or towed.

A projected 3 percent increase in passengers going through O'Hare would put a squeeze on parking. Repairs to a major surface lot also will contribute to the parking crunch.

The 6,916-space economy Lot E, located next to the airport transit system, or People Mover, is being resurfaced in three phases, causing partial shutdowns of the lot, officials said.

Some 2,489 spaces in Lot E will be off-limits Monday through June 20; 1,862 spaces will be closed June 21 through July 6; and 1,649 spaces will be closed for resurfacing July 7 through July 22, according to the Aviation Department.

O'Hare has about 22,300 parking spaces.

Passenger traffic at Midway has increased almost 15 percent since last year, the department said. The trend is expected to continue due to more flights planned by Southwest Airlines and Air Tran Airlines.

A second parking garage opened in December at the Southwest Side airport. The 6,300-space garage, at 55th Street and Laramie Avenue, increases the total number of spaces to 13,000.

Travelers driving to O'Hare or Midway can sign up at www.flychicago.com to receive e-mails providing real-time updates on parking availability. The status of parking facilities also is posted on the Web site.

Chicago Tribune