Posted on 09/05/2005 7:37:13 PM PDT by SmithL
Pacific Grove, Calif -- In this seaside town, parking meters don't grant those magical few minutes on someone else's dime. Each time a car pulls away from a space, the meter automatically resets to zero.
Little is left to chance in the brave new world of parking technology: Meters are triggered by remote sensors, customers pay for street time by cell phone and solar-powered vending machines create customized parking plans for the motorist.
Oh, and forget about rubbing the traffic officer's chalk mark off your tires on the streets of cities where short-term parking is free but overstays are punished by fines.
If you're in Monterey, Calif., or Chicago, you're apt to be foiled by parking officials who drive minicarts outfitted with GPS-enabled cameras that scan your license plate and know how long a car has occupied the given space.
Major metropolises like New York and Toronto have been phasing out coin-operated, single-spaced meters for years. But smaller cities including Aspen, Colo., and Savannah, Ga., have started ditching them, too.
Advanced parking technologies can lower a city's operating costs, reduce staffing needs and increase ticketing accuracy, resulting in fewer challenges in traffic court. Bill Francis, a vice president at the Los Angeles-based Walker Parking Consultants, says technology can also help local officials more smoothly collect on outstanding tickets, which for several cities he's familiar with added up to $4 million in just five years.
Pacific Grove, a coastal resort town where visitors to the nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium and Pebble Beach golf course compete with locals for the few oceanside spaces, went for the gold when it went digital last year.
It installed meters that increase parking fees over time, so that quick errands remain relatively inexpensive but long stays become more costly.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Surprised it hasn't been done before now. Should spread like wildfire.
another story from the "technology takes the little pleasures out of life" file.
Where is the ALCU on this one? The city decides to charge a fixed rate for the use of a space for an incremental period of time. The fee has been paid; why can't I give someone else my remaining time? What if I swap places with my wife's car? We paid money for time in a space; who is actually using the space during MY time alotment is not the city's concern.
Picture the girl at the counter in your city hall...rolling her eyes..."can I help the next person please?" And then, if you persist, "Security!" And your day, if not your life, is ruined.
Last time I was there I drove my extremely tall VW 4x4 Westfalia camper and the only place to park was the parking garage. I had 2 inches of clearance and naturally had to drive through the entire garage up to the top to find a space. It was like a scene out of Das Boot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.