Impark

IMPark is a Canadian company that owns the parking lot right next to the Arlington Park station.
Reviews of the lot;
— 2 words: cheap and accessible. It’s $ 1.50 cash only — circa 1995. The lot is fairly large and outdoor with relatively easy in and out (depending on rush hour). If you get their after 7:50 good luck finding a spot with all the cut throat crazies trying to catch the 7:56 train. Accessibility is a plus — it’s relatively easy to access via 2 entrance/​exits but bear in mind if you need to cross the tracks figure in 5 – 10 minutes for that bottle neck.
— The quality of the parking lot. In a few words: mind-​numbingly woeful. This thing was due for a repavement 4 – 5 years ago and instead they just keep throwing more asphalt which at this point feels like a gravel road under your shoes. Look out for when they fill pot holes because they will get hot debris caked on your car.
— LOOKOUT FOR THIS!!! The first of the month, the cops swarm the parking lot for expired plates. YES, the FIRST of the MONTH! I guess they can do this and it probably brings in much needed revenue for these districts that are always broke. In Chicago they will waive it if you send in a letter letting them know you paid and it’s in the mail (even after the fact). Arlington Hts will not. They want their money because they probably already spent it.
— Dealing with actual IMPark. They’re in Vancouver B.C. so take that into consideration. If you ever call there it’s like speaking to debt collectors, but they’re tier 2 «supervisors» are in fact polite but they aren’t paid to think rationally. Expect long hold times — last time i was on hold for 30 minutes and couldn’t get anyone to subtract $ 1.50 off my $ 10 ticket for a spot I was 11 minutes late on paying (I pay by phone).
— DEBT COLLECTORS — IMPark cannot mail you any notifications of payments not received (they don’t have access). This means that if you got a ticket and you were the unfortunate victim of either a windy day or lost mail, they send your bill straight to a debt collections agency. I’ve been parking there weekdays for 5 years and apparently had some payments outstanding that I had no idea existed. They told me they sent those to a debt collections agency because the district (or county) will not allow IMPark access to look up address information based on a lic plate. Is this legal? It shouldn’t be!
— No online payments. IMPark for whatever reason does not allow this location any options to pay anything online. You can pay by phone but that’s it. Maybe dial tone was the last piece of technology they integrated with their payment system.
— No relationship with the state, county, or district. Since they’re a third party company their tickets don’t actually appear on your driving record.
Well, that’s my review. If you have anything you would like to say about IMPark, they’re actually very responsive on twitter @IMPark. Send your regards.