Why Does Friends Of The Parks Endorse More Asphalt At 31St Street Beach

            It’s another case of parks versus parking lots.



            But here’s what really gets me: the parking lot expansion has been endorsed by none other than Friends of the Parks, the same group that helped tank George     Lucas’s proposal to replace Soldier Field’s 1,500-space south lot with his Museum of Narrative Arts.



            That’s one reason the Active Transportation Alliance opposes the 31st Street Beach lot expansion. “Car parking and streets are a poor use of the city’s     very limited park space. Let’s give people MORE open space, play areas, trails and other attractions and LESS pavement for cars,” executive director Ron     Burke says via e-mail.



            There are a couple of problems with that logic.



            Offering bus service to the lake for residents along the 31st Street corridor would also help reduce parking demand, but Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner says this option     wasn’t considered as an alternative to laying down more asphalt.

John Greenfield edits the transportation news website Streetsblog Chicago.