So who paid Transit parking fee's?

[variance]

Here's an idea.

Calgary Parking uses vehicles that are equipped with multiple cameras that can just drive by, and without even having to get out of their car use their computers to pick up your license plate and issue you a ticket.

To legally combat this, and to make their special camera equipped cars obsolete, we can all reverse park our cars (car facing outwards) so that the cameras can not pick up your plates. This will force the parking guy to get out of his car and manually check and input each plate into the computer individually.

This will at least make me feel better that he is earning the $3 fee that I will be paying each morning, especially in -30 weather.

Who's with me?

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy

I live in Scenic Acres in the NW where the new Crowfoot LRT station is going to be opened soon. A part of the development is a rather elaborate system that defines the area that will now require a special parking pass. They are setting how far out the passes are required. So if you park within that boundary without that pass you will get ticketed.

I believe I am outside of that boundary. So I will see if somebody starts to park in front of my place. I am not sure what if anything I will do about that.

As long as costs go up for all indirectly involved - I will be happy. Of course there will be the day that I have to pony up and pay daily, but why do it now, when I dont have to.

[Russic]

I'm pretty surprised at how easy they've made it to pay. At my stop there are 6 machines on one side of the tracks and 3 on the other. You can bypass the whole thing by just signing up for a cell account and paying from your phone which is pretty handy. I'm not really a fan of ever paying for parking, but at least its not an overly complicated or time consuming system.

Originally Posted by variance

Here's an idea.

Calgary Parking uses vehicles that are equipped with multiple cameras that can just drive by, and without even having to get out of their car use their computers to pick up your license plate and issue you a ticket.

To legally combat this, and to make their special camera equipped cars obsolete, we can all reverse park our cars (car facing outwards) so that the cameras can not pick up your plates. This will force the parking guy to get out of his car and manually check and input each plate into the computer individually.

This will at least make me feel better that he is earning the $3 fee that I will be paying each morning, especially in -30 weather.

Who's with me?

Oh come on. Was this system really brought in by the guy driving the van? Is it actually his fault that you have to pay for parking? An action like this may feel like you're "shaking the cage" over at city hall, but the only person you're managing to agitate is the guy who's just doing is job. This is nothing more than a dick move imo.

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by variance

Here's an idea.

Calgary Parking uses vehicles that are equipped with multiple cameras that can just drive by, and without even having to get out of their car use their computers to pick up your license plate and issue you a ticket.

To legally combat this, and to make their special camera equipped cars obsolete, we can all reverse park our cars (car facing outwards) so that the cameras can not pick up your plates. This will force the parking guy to get out of his car and manually check and input each plate into the computer individually.

This will at least make me feel better that he is earning the $3 fee that I will be paying each morning, especially in -30 weather.

Who's with me?

I'm in but not until I have exhausted all other area's of screwing this system. I dont mind getting up early and going for a stroll to find spots where I dont have to pay. Hell the added excercise will be a bonus if I have to trek for a few blocks more.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Russic

Oh come on. Was this system really brought in by the guy driving the van? Is it actually his fault that you have to pay for parking? An action like this may feel like you're "shaking the cage" over at city hall, but the only person you're managing to agitate is the guy who's just doing is job. This is nothing more than a dick move imo.

Metermaids are the biggest d-bags on the face of the planet. Coming in a close second would be mall security guards. I am for any activity that makes their lives miserable.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

As long as costs go up for all indirectly involved - I will be happy. Of course there will be the day that I have to pony up and pay daily, but why do it now, when I dont have to.

Your goal is to have the costs go up for everybody? I don't understand.

Oh, and, in regard to the parking zone in the area. Each house will get two parking passes for their friends. But if you need more you will have to pay some fee for it. Something like $50, maybe $70.

Also, if you have a party you are encouraged to phone the parking authority so they won't give everybody a ticket.

Doesn't that sound like alot of fun. Why is all this put into place? Because of the asshates like you who try to save a few bucks and park where they shouldn't.

[malcolmk14]

Cost of Rail Control facilities: $3.1M
Vehicle Maintenance costs: $13.9M(2006)
Station Maintenance costs: $2.8M (2006)
Right of Way Maintenance costs: $2.9M (2006)
Signals Maintenance costs: $2.4M (2006)
Average annual power costs: $4.8M (2006)
Annual LRV Operator wages: $6.0M (includes fringe benefits of 21.57%) (2006)

Can't remember who it was but they were asking about what the total cost of running the transit is. I found this information on the Calgary Transit website. So it looks like the annual cost is about $35.9 Million, not including new cars, station construction, etc.,

So if 250,000 people ride every day, that's 91.25 million people in a year.

About 39 cents per ride. Once you factor in station construction costs and new cars I can't imagine it's much more than $1 per ride.

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy

Your goal is to have the costs go up for everybody? I don't understand.

Oh, and, in regard to the parking zone in the area. Each house will get two parking passes for their friends. But if you need more you will have to pay some fee for it. Something like $50, maybe $70.

Also, if you have a party you are encouraged to phone the parking authority so they won't give everybody a ticket.

Doesn't that sound like alot of fun. Why is all this put into place? Because of the asshates like you who try to save a few bucks and park where they shouldn't.

My mission exactly, make it a P.I.T.A for everyone directly or indirectly involved.

[malcolmk14]

Also, I believe the city has about 14,700 park n ride stalls. Charging $3 at each one of these, for 20 days a month will bring in about $10.6 Million per year.

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy

Your goal is to have the costs go up for everybody? I don't understand.

Oh, and, in regard to the parking zone in the area. Each house will get two parking passes for their friends. But if you need more you will have to pay some fee for it. Something like $50, maybe $70.

Also, if you have a party you are encouraged to phone the parking authority so they won't give everybody a ticket.

Doesn't that sound like alot of fun. Why is all this put into place? Because of the asshates like you who try to save a few bucks and park where they shouldn't.

This pass system you speak of, will it include entire communities or just certain block radiuses? Will employee's of shopping malls be a part of this pass system? You seem to be in the know when it comes to this stuff.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by variance

Here's an idea.

Calgary Parking uses vehicles that are equipped with multiple cameras that can just drive by, and without even having to get out of their car use their computers to pick up your license plate and issue you a ticket.

To legally combat this, and to make their special camera equipped cars obsolete, we can all reverse park our cars (car facing outwards) so that the cameras can not pick up your plates. This will force the parking guy to get out of his car and manually check and input each plate into the computer individually.

This will at least make me feel better that he is earning the $3 fee that I will be paying each morning, especially in -30 weather.

Who's with me?

So basically you just want to make a guys day horrible who is just trying to do his job? Mighty big of you!

How long until the city starts ticketing you for parking illegally under this little scheme? If I were the guy forced to deal with you I'd be printing the ticket before I even got to your vehicle...and good luck negotiating on that!

I totally agree this was a bad move by city council, and a bad policy to pursue. But I hope that there are better ways to deal with this as opposed to just making life difficult for everyone else.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

This pass system you speak of, will it include entire communities or just certain block radiuses? Will employee's of shopping malls be a part of this pass system? You seem to be in the know when it comes to this stuff.

I only know what I have read in regard to what they are setting up in this community. It is for a certain block radius. That has been part of the process. To define that radius.

I believe that shopping malls, apartment buildings etc will have to handle their own parking issues.

[malcolmk14]

While I agree that the parking authority guy is just doing his job, it is also my legal right to reverse into a parking spot if I've paid the $3.

It's his job to check that vehicles have paid for parking, regardless of whether they parked in reverse or not.

Edit: What if I drive a Schlumberger company truck and I have to back into my stall?

[North East Goon]

This thing is going to go belly-up before I even have to start encroaching communities.
Imagine the families who have 4 cars in their household and they will have to pay to park in front of their own properties. This is too funny. Not to mention the cost to businesses.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Slava

How long until the city starts ticketing you for parking illegally under this little scheme? If I were the guy forced to deal with you I'd be printing the ticket before I even got to your vehicle...and good luck negotiating on that!

What is illegal about back into a stall? I drive a truck and it is much easier to park by backing and PLUS it makes is easier to exit the stall.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

This thing is going to go belly-up before I even have to start encroaching communities.
Imagine the families who have 4 cars in their household and they will have to pay to park in front of their own properties. This is too funny. Not to mention the cost to businesses.

They will issue parking passes to all the cars in the family. One of those little paper ones that tapes to your back window. They will also issue that household 2 visitors passes. That is what happens in any community around a highschool / post secondary institution.

[tvp2003]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/sto...t-calgary.html

The lot at Dalhousie station in the northwest was only half full at 7:30 a.m., with grumbling drivers lining up to pay their $3.

Drivers, who said the lot was normally full by 6:30 a.m., said thrifty commuters were probably parking on residential streets or driving to the nearby Brentwood C-Train stop, where the park-and-ride is still free, but the lot was full.

A more damning response would have been if all three of the park and ride lots were completely empty. A swift kick in the nuts to City Counsel/Calgary Transit that users aren't going to accept the fee.

Calgary Transit spokesman Ron Collins said complaints are to be expected as commuters get used to paying to park before riding at the McKnight-Westwinds, Somerset-Bridlewood and Dalhousie stations. Violators face a ticket of $40. All Park and Ride lots will charge $3 a day by the end of May.

It will be interesting to see when everything hits the fan in May...

[albertGQ]

But Metro did a study on this last week and they concluded that Calgarians are happy about this $3 fee!

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

What is illegal about back into a stall? I drive a truck and it is much easier to park by backing and PLUS it makes is easier to exit the stall.

I agree there is nothing illegal about that right now. But how hard would it be to implement that rule?

[Hack&Lube]

What's worse is that over the course of the last year, the sidestreets I have been parking on have been encroached on by the City of Calgary's parking signs for no reason that I can discern.

The areas were perfectly fine before where they had free parking allowed but the city keeps putting up 2hr zone signs more and more and closer and closer together. It's totally stupid and outrageous.

I and dozens of people park on the same street for years. One morning, it becomes a 2hr zone. I move to another area. 3 months later, it's a 2hr zone too and the area of sidewalk you are permitted to park in keeps shrinking.

All the while, there are giant mall parking lots and supermarkets that are totally empty and will remain empty and unused forever nearby.