Calgary Parking - Residential Permit System - Visitors

[morgin]

Is anyone on this system yet?

We just got moved over to it this month.

Not having the in car permit is great, but the lack of visitor hang tags seems like it's going to be a major PITA.

I can't seem to find any way to save common visitors in the system. It looks like I will need to have a list on my phone or written beside the computer at home of everyone's license plates who come to visit, and then make sure I confirm in advance which car is being driven so the person has the right session.

By way of example, we have a dog walker who will come from time to time (no set schedule), a cleaning lady who comes every 2 weeks, my in-laws who come over to take care of our kid from time to time, etc. This all worked great because they would just take the hang tag, use it, bring it back, and go on their way without me having to be involved. Now it seems like I'll need to be actively starting and stopping sessions throughout the day, depending on who is visiting.

Anyone using it and have tips on ways to make this easier that I'm not seeing? The fact I have to login and take a bunch of steps to do this and cant apparently just text to start/stop a session is also stupid.

[Bigtime]

We're on the system too, and I don't have any tips or tricks. I was quite surprised to see that it doesn't mesh with the ParkPlus App either. You figure it should be one and the same to keep things simple, but no.

[Table 5]

The new system is indeed a pain. Having to always enter people into the system is a hassle...it should at least allow you to go beyond 2 weeks. The hangtag system was low-tech, but much more usable.

[calgarygeologist]

We just signed up yesterday as our permits expired at the end of the month. I haven't actually looked at how the system functions.

[morgin]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

We just signed up yesterday as our permits expired at the end of the month. I haven't actually looked at how the system functions.

Shockingly, it’s like it was designed by someone who wants to generate more ticket revenue.

- one login shared for a household. Not linked to existing CPA account for parkplus

- have to login and physically input data to start a session. Not as simple as a single click on a visitor name to start or stop a session

- can’t save list of regular visitors, meaning you have to manage externally from the site a list of the license plates of all of your visitors

- requires homeowner to actively manage visitor sessions throughout a day if you expect more than 2 different visitors. Before, visitors could use hang tags and replace back in house when they left. Now, homeowner has to take time to log in, start a session, confirm when that person has left, end that session, to start next session for next visitor.

This is going to end in a lot of tickets if CPA is doing active enforcement and a lot of angry people who simply didn’t have the ability to login and deal with managing visitor parking when they were at work and had either family or service workers at their house.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by morgin

Shockingly, it’s like it was designed by someone who wants to generate more ticket revenue.

- one login shared for a household. Not linked to existing CPA account for parkplus

- have to login and physically input data to start a session. Not as simple as a single click on a visitor name to start or stop a session

- can’t save list of regular visitors, meaning you have to manage externally from the site a list of the license plates of all of your visitors

- requires homeowner to actively manage visitor sessions throughout a day if you expect more than 2 different visitors. Before, visitors could use hang tags and replace back in house when they left. Now, homeowner has to take time to log in, start a session, confirm when that person has left, end that session, to start next session for next visitor.

This is going to end in a lot of tickets if CPA is doing active enforcement and a lot of angry people who simply didn’t have the ability to login and deal with managing visitor parking when they were at work and had either family or service workers at their house.

Maybe I can submit a request to have the parking restriction removed from my street. It is pretty useless and unnecessary.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

I've been on both systems - both paper and electronic.

There are some pros and cons to the electronic version and I think it pretty much washes out to be nether better or worse.

Pros
- no more having guests drive away with your permit because they forgot to return it
- permits that fall apart cause you toddler ate them
- can do things remotely like sign people in from work

Cons
- you need to get people's license plate info which is a pain
- without the directness of handing them a pass it's easy to forget to sign people into the system.
- I can't see whether that sketch Ford Taurus that recently started parking outside is a legit visitor of the neighbors, or someone illegally parking.

Tips? not a lot. I save a word file of all my usual visitor plates onto the cloud so that it's accessible anywhere by all members of the family. I also have the CPA as a favorite on my desktop that autologs in so that all members of the family can use it (although it usually falls into my lap....)

[jwslam]

Originally Posted by morgin

By way of example, we have a dog walker who will come from time to time (no set schedule), a cleaning lady who comes every 2 weeks, my in-laws who come over to take care of our kid from time to time, etc. This all worked great because they would just take the hang tag, use it, bring it back, and go on their way without me having to be involved. Now it seems like I'll need to be actively starting and stopping sessions throughout the day, depending on who is visiting.

Since these people all need to actively enter your house, what about putting a cheapo tablet at the door specifically for them to sign in/out of parking?

[RM14]

Ho do you tell if someone is illegally parked now?

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by RM14

Ho do you tell if someone is illegally parked now?

'You' can't anymore. But CPA can, they use the same cars and cameras that are used for Park Plus and scan plates as they drive along the street.

[RM14]

Interesting. Perhaps under 311, someone could request a car to come scan the plates every so often.

[cam_wmh]

Not surprising it's a poor system. This city does not flourish at this.

[morgin]

Originally Posted by jwslam

Since these people all need to actively enter your house, what about putting a cheapo tablet at the door specifically for them to sign in/out of parking?

Not a bad idea! I mean, it pretty much is the worst user experience for this possible, but would at least make it not my problem. How we go from hang tags to active session management through a login based website is beyond me, but I guess CPA needs more money to do a better job.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Why don't you guys just give the visitors your log in and let them do it themselves?
Put it on them.

If the account is just for that one thing it shouldn't be a problem letting people do it themselves.

[morgin]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Why don't you guys just give the visitors your log in and let them do it themselves?
Put it on them.

If the account is just for that one thing it shouldn't be a problem letting people do it themselves.

It's not isolated from the rest of the residential parking system. There is a big cancel button on the page that would let someone cancel your residential permits (as opposed to stopping a visitor parking session). Would prefer not to have someone accidentally click that.