# Fuck you, ultra-modern parking meter **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257 "2010-06-23T18:05:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/21 "2010-06-23T19:19:15Z")
Wow. Municipalities are struggling to find ways to increase revenue without increasing taxes, and this is one way they landed on it, by getting rid of the free parking that used to go along with mechanical meters. And apparently needing you to do something that almost every person who owns a car does these days, either wear a watch or carry a cell phone (either of which can tell the time for you). This outrageous behavior has led to this thread, denouncing such creative attempts at revenue generation. The GALL of cities to expect everyone to have to pay for their parking, instead of getting free time off someone else! The horror! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/22 "2010-06-23T19:22:47Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Wait, wait, WAIT. They expect you to either _wear a watch_ (AND know how to read it) or _be able to do third grade level math_ _in your head??_ > > Why don’t they just require a Doctorate in parking while they’re at it? This is an outrage. Quick, what’s 0.65/1.20? The old parking meters didn’t make me do this kind of shit. I thought technology was supposed to make things _easier_, not more of a pain in the ass. I didn’t come here for a goddam math test, I just want to park my car and go get drunk. Fergodsake, it’s a computer and a display - with plenty of unused space on the display. All you need is a couple of extra lines of code in the software to display time remaining. No new hardware required. Lazy goddam code monkeys. If they had done that, much of my rant would not be. ---
**Author:** ![Westrogothia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@Westrogothia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Westrogothia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/23 "2010-06-23T19:28:59Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > If they’re going to have a centralized box, rather than paying at individual meters, it seems the logistics would be simple enough: swipe a credit or debit card when you park, then swipe it again as you’re leaving, and get charged for the time in between. Thats how they work around here. Of course these are socialist parking meters. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/24 "2010-06-23T19:35:11Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Wow. > > Municipalities are struggling to find ways to increase revenue without increasing taxes, and this is one way they landed on it, by getting rid of the free parking that used to go along with mechanical meters. And apparently needing you to do something that almost every person who owns a car does these days, either wear a watch or carry a cell phone (either of which can tell the time for you). > > This outrageous behavior has led to this thread, denouncing such creative attempts at revenue generation. The GALL of cities to expect everyone to have to pay for their parking, instead of getting free time off someone else! The horror! I’m at a park. Someone I trust not to horrid things to an apple leaves one behind. It looks like a pretty rad apple so I shout “you gonna eat that?” as they leave. They respond “nah go for it”. Like the abandoned meter time should I leave the apple to wast like the parking minutes because someone else bought and abandoned it? Would I have a lot of GALL to eat the apple? What if it was just an abandoned apple that likewise I knew was safe and abandoned? ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/25 "2010-06-23T19:36:13Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > Quick, what’s 0.65/1.20? Close enough to a half that I’d call that a good approximation. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/26 "2010-06-23T19:40:24Z")
All the towns around here have removed the meters for a few decades already.😛 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/27 "2010-06-23T19:43:31Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Wait, wait, WAIT. They expect you to either _wear a watch_ (AND know how to read it) or _be able to do third grade level math_ _in your head??_ > > Why don’t they just require a Doctorate in parking while they’re at it? This is an outrage. Back the fuck bus up. You really want more unnecessary hassle? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/28 "2010-06-23T19:46:02Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Close enough to a half that I’d call that a good approximation. You under estimated. Enjoy your ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/29 "2010-06-23T19:49:00Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > Back the fuck bus up. You really want more unnecessary hassle? What hassle? Being able to pay with a credit card instead of having to use coins is already a bonus, IMO. Plus, I’m all for anything that reduces costs for the city – that’s our money they’re using to pay those meter readers with, you know. Also, I have a watch and everything. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/30 "2010-06-23T19:51:45Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > You under estimated. Enjoy your ticket. That depends on whether I’m calculating minutes or money, now doesn’t it? Given that you supplied no units, I could have just as easily overestimated. Also, I don’t tend to feed the meter to the second, so I don’t need to calculate things to three decimal places. If it says $1.20/hour and I’m parking for lunch, I’ll just stick $1.50 in there and call it good. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/31 "2010-06-23T20:02:13Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > What hassle? Being able to pay with a credit card instead of having to use coins is already a bonus, IMO. Plus, I’m all for anything that reduces costs for the city – that’s our money they’re using to pay those meter readers with, you know. The city was already making money on the old meters. Charging for parking isn’t a net cost for the city, it’s a net revenue. And it’s questionable to me whether the new system nets them more revenue. I wonder what the CC transaction fee is? If it’s structured like PayPal, then it’s a percent plus a flat charge. If someone incurs a sixty-cent parking fee on their card, and [transaction fees eat up 50 cents,](http://www.allbusiness.com/sales/internet-e-commerce/3930-1.html) then the city is getting far less revenue from its parking spots than it used to. Maybe it works out OK if there’s less maintenance (one computer and a bunch of numbered signposts, versus a bunch of individual meters) and less manual labor involved in collecting coins, but man, if a lot of people are paying by credit card, that’s a _big_ loss of revenue. ---
**Author:** ![Time\_Stranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Time\_Stranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Stranger)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/32 "2010-06-23T20:06:48Z")
We recently got this same type of system in my little town. I don’t mind them too much, but my favorite part about the whole thing is how environmentally-friendly my town council likes to consider itself; they are really vocal about how “green” our town is. …So they go from meters with no waste to a system where hundreds of little pieces of paper are printed each day, a good chunk of which seem to end up in the streets. Good work, guys. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/33 "2010-06-23T20:08:46Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > You under estimated. Enjoy your ticket. First of all, what the fuck does .65/1.20 refer to? I understand that the meter costs $1.20 an hour, so are you trying to calculate how much you need to pay to park for .65 of an hour? No wonder you have a hard time with your watch. It’s in metric time. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/34 "2010-06-23T20:20:24Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > First of all, what the fuck does .65/1.20 refer to? I understand that the meter costs $1.20 an hour, so are you trying to calculate how much you need to pay to park for .65 of an hour? You’ve deposited 65 cents. Parking time costs $1.20 per hour. How many minutes can you spend drinking in the bar before you need to come out and move your car? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/35 "2010-06-23T20:20:53Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > First of all, what the fuck does .65/1.20 refer to? I understand that the meter costs $1.20 an hour, so are you trying to calculate how much you need to pay to park for .65 of an hour? > > No wonder you have a hard time with your watch. It’s in metric time. Right. Also, as most people understand, there are 60 minutes in an hour. And $1.20 is the same as 120 cents. So, parking is 2c per minute. Surely even a product of the American public school system should be able to work out how much to pay. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/36 "2010-06-23T20:21:58Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > You’ve deposited 65 cents. Parking time costs $1.20 per hour. How many minutes can you spend in the bar before you need to come out and move your car? 32, with half a minute left over to put on your seatbelt and drive away. It’s really not rocket science. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/37 "2010-06-23T20:25:12Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > You’ve deposited 65 cents. Parking time costs $1.20 per hour. How many minutes can you spend drinking in the bar before you need to come out and move your car? And if you don’t want to put in as much thought as **mhendo** did, **Giraffe** ’s answer still works well. .65 is a little over half of 1.20. That means if you go back to your car in 30 minutes, you’ll have a little spare time left over. No ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/38 "2010-06-23T20:27:18Z")
> [@MrSquishy](#): > > The “no free parking” thing is a drag for sure, it’s pretty sweet to find a parking meter that has time left on it. > > However, I think I’m personally more likely to want to know “what time does the meter expire?” rather than “in how many minutes does the meter expire?”. I guess it would be nice if it would display both though. Not everyone wears a watch. I do, but a lot of younger persons don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/39 "2010-06-23T20:31:49Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > If they’re going to have a centralized box, rather than paying at individual meters, it seems the logistics would be simple enough: swipe a credit or debit card when you park, then swipe it again as you’re leaving, and get charged for the time in between. How do you propose to handle people who leave without doing the second swipe? That’s a genuine question, not snark. I would assume the city (or private company abusing the drivers as the city’s proxy) would charge a fairly large minimum–$20, say–which would be reduced to match the parkers’ actual usage so long as they remember to do that second swipe. Or did you have a different plan? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/40 "2010-06-23T20:34:06Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Not everyone wears a watch. I do, but a lot of younger persons don’t. True. But i literally do not know a single person under 40 that doesn’t carry a cellphone. I was the last holdout in my peer group, and even i have a cheap one now. And my (undergrad) students? Fuggedaboutit! Those people can’t walk the length of a room without texting or checking their messages. And every cellphone on the market will tell you the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257.md?page=3)