Let me go on record as saying the Chicago City Sticker concept stinks. Okay...perhaps not the concept, but the execution.

If you've never seen them, they are rectangular self-adhesive plastic stickers that stick to the inside lower right corner of a car's windshield, providing the bearer permission to park in Chicago city limits - and a healthy source of revenue for the city. New city stickers are issued annually, and you don't want to forget to replace your old sticker by the June 30th mass expiry date. These days, an expired- or missing-sticker ticket will cost you $125.00, and I speak from personal experience (kick, kick, kick).

Here's the main problem. Since all city stickers are identical except for a small serial number area [which doesn't correspond to easily matched unique vehicle information, like the VIN or license plate number] these expensive stickers have become a form of liquid Chicago currency.

Thieves can break into your car to steal a City Sticker [a personal account of sticker theft on My Complex Simplicity] and display it as their own, or sell it on the street for a portion of a legitimate sticker's cost. They are a little tricky to peel off once they have been stuck to the windshield, but on a hot sunny summer day [what a coincidence...right around the time Chicago drivers all need new stickers!] the backing adhesive softens enough to allow easier removal.

But - isn't it risky to use someone else's city sticker? Realistically, sticker thieves generally get away scot-free, and stolen-sticker scofflaws are rarely detected unless a shoddily re-stuck sticker arouses a police officer's suspicion. No one will know the difference unless an effort is made to note the sticker ID number and track down the original purchaser's name and vehicle information in City Hall records.

Considering that the average sticker sells for $75* or more, it's almost as bad as if the city asked motorists to tape a bunch of bills inside their windshields.

What could the city do to improve the situation? Ideally, city stickers should be individualized for each vehicle, clearly showing the VIN or license plate number the same way other states use vehicle registration stickers. Even better, city stickers should be issued on a rotating basis with expiration date clearly marked, and printed on demand at the point of purchase.

When I lived in New York State, registration stickers were equally expensive, but there was no motive to steal or sell them because they plainly showed the plate number and VIN of the car they were issued to. They were also renewed on a rotating basis all year long, so there was no global date when all stickers expired; and they were printed on paper which tore easily if removal was attempted.

I think I'll write a letter to City Hall outlining my plan to improve our city stickers. It may not change anything, but at least I won't feel quite as...er, stuck.

* Chicago "sticks" it to SUV owners - "large passenger" vehicles currently pay $90 for a city sticker, which isn't too different from the idea of charging "wider" airline passengers for two seats. Interestingly, there is a cheaper "demonstration vehicle" sticker that only costs $30. If I put a PA system on the roof of my Escort and blare out Anti-Bush protest slogans, do I qualify for the discount?

UPDATE: Dragonflypurity has a good idea for thwarting sticker-peeling thieves:

Next time I put up a Chicago city sticker, I'm going to criss cross it a few times with a razor. That way, if they do try to break in and scrape it off, it won't come off as easy, but rather in small strips and pieces, making their efforts fruitless.

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