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"Smart" Parking Meters Considered Dumb
theodp writes "The jury's still out on whether Chicago taxpayers were taken to the cleaners by a rushed 75-year lease of the city's metered parking to a Morgan Stanley consortium. But most would probably agree that the new shared Pay Boxes that replaced the city's old parking meters don't exactly live up to their 'Smart' billing. Here's what the redesigned 'user-friendly' parking solution looks like: 1. Park your car. 2. Walk up to 1/2 block to a Pay Box. 3. Wait in line to use it. 4. Use coins or credit cards to purchase parking time — up to $84 for 24-hours (add $50 if you run out of time). 5. Wait for a paper receipt to be printed. 6. Walk up to 1/2 block back to your car. 7. Place the receipt on your dashboard. 8. Head off to your destination, perhaps passing the Pay Box a second time. So before other cities suffer the same fate as Chicago, Portland, and others, is there a 'smarter' way? Some suggest the ParkMagic In-Car Meter, but no new orders are being taken in Chicago. Any other ideas?"
so the actual question is: who pays you for the time you spent proving you were innocent? The classic question in democracy.
No need to blame Democracy. (Unless you are a US liberal or something.) It could be phrased as a classic problem of any country that actually permits you to argue your innocence before the law. It's a problem, but it's a step up from the alternative.
I won't join Slashcott. OTOH, If Beta goes live, I just won't be back until it's fixed. Sorry Dice.
OK, so when the asshole in the shop next door to me starts sending some little shit running up and down the street all day to feed the meters of the criminals and drug addicts who have entered *his* establishment, thus preventing any reasonable parking for *my* customers, any intention the city might have to prevent that is "braindead"?
What is your excuse for the other 29 days?
I don't need an excuse.
I am assuming here that you are a typical American who drives 30+ miles a day, 5-7 days a week, since
Yep! Actually, it's more like 60-70 miles a day, on average. Oh, and most of that is in a big ass, big block Cadillac that gets 15 MPG on a good day; that is, a day when I'm not lead footing it everywhere. (Rarely.) I don't have any catalytic converters on it either. And you know what? I don't give a fuck what you think about it.
OK, you just bought a month's worth of groceries. What is your excuse for the other 29 days? I am assuming here that you are a typical American who drives 30+ miles a day, 5-7 days a week, since
Why does anyone need an excuse for owning and using an automobile at any time they choose?
It sounds to me that, beyond being an enormous douche bag, you are also economically challenged. Quite possibly due to the fact that you are such a douche and thereby have limited earning potential. It would seem that, since you have difficulty financing your own automotive desires, you try to conceal your envy with an extreme and unwarranted attempt at condescending pretense.
What's your excuse for being such a douche bag?
Exactly. It's funny how people piss and moan about how the free market is a failure and that we need more government to solve market failures, but when you look behind the curtain almost inevitably the government is somehow behind the entire problem.
And people wonder why some of us feel that MORE government is not the answer to our problems.
That judge doesn't need a pension, he needs a jail cell with one of the guys he put there.