This is one of my biggest pet peeves. The fact that in 2013 we still have parking meters that use coins is completely ridiculous. For some reason this has always bothered me. Maybe its because I rarely have coins on me, so I end up searching for coins for 5 minutes in my car like an idiot. I just feel that by now someone has to have come up with a better solution. Here in Lewisburg, it actually is not too bad. For one, the meters accept all types of coins except pennies, and secondly they meters are pretty cheap. I think a quarter gives you 45 minutes. Around where I’m from it’s completely different. The meters only accept quarters and a quarter only gives you 15 minutes. If I’m going to be out for an hour and a half, I have to put six quarters in the meter. How often do you ever have six quarters on you? Me, I never do. This topic for the blog kind of came up in my head after parking downtown today and seeing all the meters covered for the holidays and how nice of a feeling that was.
When thinking about a solution to this problem, two came to mind. One to me seems a lot easier and is almost baffling that it doesn’t happen already and the other is a little more innovative. The first idea is to add whatever money that would be made in parking meters to the local tax. The local governing body, whether that is the township or the city, must know how much money is generated from parking meters each. It would be so simple to just disperse that amount over its residents to cover what the parking meters would make. This would also save the city money because it eliminates to need for a meter maid. I find it hard to believe that in a small town like Lewisburg with one street of parking meters that those meters generate enough money for the yearly salary for a meter maid. My second idea is to have an ez-pass like system. You have a little chip on your cars keys and you scan it at universal hub and key in the spot number and how long to hold the spot for. Like ez-pass, you have your account set up to your credit card, so you just pay it through there later.
Let's Get Ethical 
Agreed! So much of monetary transactions do not happen with paper money, let alone coins. In San Fran, we can pay by phone in some locations (or credit card) using an app. Its also convenient to extend your time through the app. Check it out: http://paybyphone.com/sf/
The EZ pass system is a fantastic idea! A simple credit card like swipe would make it much easier and probably get people to stop trying to beat the system by parking and quickly running in and out to get their errand done before a parking authority drives by.
Businesses _WANT_ meters, usually, because it insures traffic turnover. If there were no meters, then people who work downtown would park there all day and customers couldn’t.
The meters cover road costs, among other things. Those costs are covered by other tax revenues in sprawl land, like where Weis and Walmart are. Sure, they cover their own costs of their parking lots, but the run off systems, the road maintenance to get there, traffic lights, that is picked up by local government.
How about meters IN Wal-Mart’s lots so that the illusion of “free” parking goes away and the sprawl stores compete on a level playing field with downtown businesses?
Oh, your coin problem… change machines?
I know in Europe they have those kiosks where you pay many ways and stick a piece of paper in the windshield.
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