# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/81 "2010-06-25T19:49:38Z")
> [@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! There never was any free parking with coin meters. It’s just that sometimes you paid for somebody else’s, and sometimes somebody else paid for yours. The city got paid either way. The gall is that now some cities insist on being paid twice for the same minutes, and in making the system more complicated at the same time. ---
**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 25, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/82 "2010-06-25T21:15:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Meh. Giraffe is just here because his board’s Pit doesn’t work worth shit. He hasn’t contributed to this board in a long time, and you do best to ignore him. > > What? His first post here is just to make fun of the OP. Making fun of an OP? In the Pit?? Why, I never! ::faints:: ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/83 "2010-06-25T22:08:31Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Making fun of an OP? In the Pit?? Why, I never! > > ::faints:: ::::stands over Giraffe and points, and snaps picture::::: ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/84 "2010-06-25T22:31:01Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > ::::stands over Giraffe and points, and snaps picture::::: What are you, mature? You take the pictures after you draw a bunch of obsene pictures on his face and arrange his body in lewd and suggestive positions. Rookie. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/85 "2010-06-26T01:44:07Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > 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. Nope, what they gain in revenue they lose in retail sales taxes. In most cases, that is, ymmv. Towns with a thriving street retail are have learn to ditch the meters and enforce a 2 hour limit, instead. Palo Alto is a good example. The retail desert that is Downtown San Jose, with many meters, is the counter-example. What I also hate in San Jose, is that the meters do not spell out the metered parking hours, thus dudes feed the meters after hours. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/86 "2010-06-26T01:52:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > What I also hate in San Jose, is that the meters do not spell out the metered parking hours, thus dudes feed the meters after hours. What I hated in Boston six years ago, was that some electronic parking meters were off during unmetered hours, meaning that if you arrived fifteen minutes before metering started, you were forced to cool your heels by your car until they turned on so that you could feed them and be on your way. ---
**Author:** ![emacknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/87 "2010-06-26T03:02:02Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > What I hated in Boston six years ago, was that some electronic parking meters were off during unmetered hours, meaning that if you arrived fifteen minutes before metering started, you were forced to cool your heels by your car until they turned on so that you could feed them and be on your way. This is something that bothers me about, what do we call them, old fashioned meters? If there was a 2 hour limit from 8am - 4pm, it means it’s free until 8am. But if you get there at 7am, there is no way to pre-pay so that you are covered from 7am until 10am. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/88 "2010-06-26T22:20:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Meh. Giraffe is just here because his board’s Pit doesn’t work worth shit. He hasn’t contributed to this board in a long time, and you do best to ignore him. > > What? His first post here is just to make fun of the OP. What the fuck brought this on? Or are you just upset because you (rightly) got your ass handed to you over there when you went to whine because you got a _gasp_ Warning? :rolleyes: **Giraffe** ’s board rules. Plus, his tongue is so long, he can lick his own butt…twice. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/89 "2010-06-28T17:21:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Meh. Giraffe is just here because his board’s Pit doesn’t work worth shit. He hasn’t contributed to this board in a long time, and you do best to ignore him. > > What? His first post here is just to make fun of the OP. -You use the Giraffe Board Pit to bag on the Dope. (In addition he wanted the Raffers to help him fill the Dope Mod’s email boxes with spam because he didn’t like a warning that he got. He was roundly mocked over there for for that.) -You use the Dope Pit to bag on the Giraffe Board. Don’t you see that you have things backwards? Dude, you are the very definition of butthurt. ---
**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 28, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/90 "2010-06-28T21:40:32Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > **Giraffe** ’s board rules. Plus, his tongue is so long, he can lick his own butt…twice. Wait, _what?_ :eek: ::makes mental note to never, ever hire **Guin** as his PR representative:: ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/91 "2010-06-28T22:05:24Z")
They have switched over to those kiosk parking meters here where each spot has a number and you go to the kiosk on each block to pay for time. I think it’s done pretty well actually. First you enter the spot number you are parked at then you have two selections, Buy Time or Add Time. If you select Add Time and there is any time left from the previous parker you see how much is there. If you try adding time that takes you past the posted meter parking time it tells you that and doesn’t make you put in more money. The only drawback is that you can’t see if a spot has any time left just cruising by so it’s just luck whether there is time left or not. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/92 "2010-06-28T22:22:50Z")
Since I never carry coins these new meters are very useful, and I actively seek them out over the old ones if I am parking on the street. ---
**Author:** ![gallan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ee59a6/32.png) [@gallan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/93 "2010-06-28T22:29:30Z")
> [@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? How exactly can you keep track of how many minutes you spend in the bar without knowing the actual time of day? Do you carry a stop-watch around with you? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/94 "2010-06-29T00:00:31Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Nice rant. Just to nit-pick, your city may have nothing to do with the new system. Many cities are selling their parking meter systems to private companies. So being a seller in a buy/sell type of agreement means having nothing to do with it? How odd. Are you suggesting that the city simply contracts with with the private company and in effect says “just do it however you see fit,” without signing off on it? I’m dubious. My guess is that the city knows exactly how the change will occur, approves it, signs the contract, and therefore has quite a bit to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/95 "2010-06-29T00:22:59Z")
No parking meters within 50 miles of me, so what do I care? If you really want one for nostalgia, the nearest city will sell you a used one for $25 that was ripped out 30 years ago when they found out that people actually didn’t use them, but parked and shopped somewhere else. Goodbye, merchants and goodbye, downtown. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257/96 "2010-06-29T00:44:33Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Wait, _what?_ :eek: > > ::makes mental note to never, ever hire **Guin** as his PR representative:: Is it true, sir, that you have stopped licking your butt? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-ultra-modern-parking-meter/544257.md?page=4)