Sneaky Parking Meters
Of course the city’s website does not have a picture of them, nor do I as yet, but they are in place in midtown and may cost you a lot of money if you are not careful. These little blue and gray boxes are replacing parking meters and it is up to you to make sure to seek out the box, figure out which space you are in – which they say is on a pole but I’ve seen it merely on the curb, pay the appropriate amount, get a print out, go back to your car, stick it on the dash, and hope that you put on the right amount of money. This seems much more complicated than pulling up to a meter, depositing money to keep it from flashing. While it is more complicated for the user, it will be easier for the city and you can use plastic instead of fumbling for quarters. All I know is that when I was in Toronto I wasn’t aware of this system and was fined . . . I have a feeling that the city will see a spike in tickets from people like me who are ecstatic that there is no parking meter where there once was.
Wait, we’re supposed to place a printed ticket on our car? Last week there was only 10-15 minutes left until 6 (non-enforcement hours). I figured I would throw away a quarter to see how the new things work. First off, the cars I parked between weren’t properly aligned with the numbered signs (through no fault of their own. These things are barely noticeable), so I wasn’t sure which spot I was claiming. I took a guess and plumped my quarter in. Nothing happened. The damn thing is literally weeks old and is already eating quarters.
Will I switch to the structures at Wayne? After a 25% increase in tuition over 2 years and a 225% increase in parking in the past 4 years, I’d much rather throw my money down the City’s toilet than Wayne’s.
i like this idea better, simply because we can use plastic and it takes nickels and dimes too… my first experience with this was in Toronto as well, and it seems to work alright there… however, my experience with it has always been in parking lots instead of sidestreet spaces… we’ll see if it works here…