Memory serves (it’s been quite a while), commercial vehicles cannot drive on Lakeshore Drive. I’ll be visiting Chicago soon with my pick-up truck. It’s registered in California as a passenger vehicle, not a commercial vehicle. Can I legally drive on LSD with it?
Previous thread on this: Pick Up Trucks - Lake Shore Drive
Apparently it’s not a simple answer, and politicians, journalists, judges are all confused:
- GAS UP THE PICKUP, WE’RE CLEARED FOR LAKE SHORE DRIVE – Chicago Tribune (judge ultimately ruled it not guilty)
- LAKE SHORE DRIVE TRUCK PROHIBITION ENSNARES INNOCENT – Chicago Tribune (but initially the judge thought otherwise)
And also:
- WBEZ video story: Why Ban Pickups from Lake Shore Drive? Where Can They Park in Chicago?
- Tribune article: Pickup truck owners face uphill climb in Chicago – Chicago Tribune
As far as I can tell, it’s technically illegal but enforcement seems hit-or-miss. It may depend on how the officer who sees you driving on it is feeling that day, and how well they happen to know the law. It may also have less-understood exemptions, like if you had RV plates or weigh < 8000 lbs, but those were secondhand and thirdhand reports. There might also be sections of LSD near McCormick Place that may be exempt. If you want to play it super-safe, best not to drive a pickup there.
Reddit has a ton of confusing anecdotes:
- Pickup Trucks on Lake Shore Drive : chicago
- Visiting Chicago, can I drive a pickup truck in the city? : AskChicago
- https://old.reddit.com/r/AskChicago/comments/1j1twdi/why_doesnt_law_enforcement_ticket_the_plethora_of/
What IS clear is that you’re not allowed to park on residential streets, only “business streets”: Pickup Trucks & Commercial Vehicles | Office of the City Clerk
If the non-commercial pick-up truck is owned by a Non-Chicago resident, (e.g. a visitor from the suburbs) and does not have a current and valid City Sticker, the owner may park the vehicle on a Business street.
Commercial pick-up trucks, junk vehicles, and any pick-up truck weighing more than 8,000 pounds are still prohibited from parking on ANY residential and business streets.
If you’re going when the weather is nice, I’d suggest that the lakeshore areas around downtown (The Loop, Magnificent Mile, etc.) are best experienced on foot or by bicycle (like the Divvy bikes lying around) anyway. Failing that, the El gets you almost anywhere in the city.
Traffic sucks and parking is worse. If you don’t HAVE to drive, don’t…