Detroit to start ticketing cars after 6 p.m., but meters still list old rules

[Zacha341]

What a hot mess! This bodes well to the competency of our leaders and makes Detroit seem all the more PRESSED and desperate. Some will just say forget and not bother.

I live on the border of Midtown and will use the lots... who needs this hassle!

[justanotherboy]

If the meter does not have the new times on there and you get a ticket - file a counter claim lawsuit against the City of Detroit and the Parkign Authority. Why would anyone pay a ticket when the meter says they will not ticket you after 6:00. That is fraud and violation of numerous consumer laws in my book.

[Meddle]

whose patrons will have to run back and forth to the meters every hour or two to deposit coins.

yeah I guess you just get up and feed the meter again..

Yeah, but you're not supposed to do that either. If it says an hour, it means an hour. In some places they'll mark your tire at a certain position. When they come back later and your car is still there with the mark in the same position, they'll write you whether the meter has been re-fed or not.

[Zacha341]

Hah! So much for the argument of 'just pay the meter'! Goodness! They will probably enforce this nifty detail. No wiggle room possible, outside of going to a lot. Dine elsewhere or at home! LOL!

Yeah, but you're not supposed to do that either. If it says an hour, it means an hour. In some places they'll mark your tire at a certain position. When they come back later and your car is still there with the mark in the same position, they'll write you whether the meter has been re-fed or not.

[texorama]

It's now on hold because the city hasn't updated the meters yet. The whole thing just exudes incompetence, but at least somebody said hold on.

http://www.freep.com/article/20110708/NEWS01/107080441/Detroit-s-parking-plan-hits-roadblock-many-meters-not-updated-new-hours?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

[Hypestyles]

have all the meters been upgraded to the newer, "one machine for half-a-block" devices? That can get kind of annoying depending on how clear the readout is on those machines.. you don't want to put money into someone else's space [[well, it's a nice gesture, but..)

[Rocko]

No, not all streets/blocks have the one machine per block system. Some lesser downtown streets and short blocks still have traditional coin-fed Duncan meters.

The whole situation is an EPIC FAIL.

[Melocoton]

This isn't nearly this big a deal.

I find it sort of hard to believe that people who otherwise want to come downtown will not just because they have to pay $2 for a parking meter. The thing I don't like is it will encourage baseball fans to use private parking lots, which as someone else says will just encourage the parking-lot empires we already have. Although most of the Tiger fans already do that anyway, I guess.

Also, a lot of the meters have credit cards, so it's not that hard to pay [[the News says "only a portion," conveniently leaving out how much of a portion--I would bet it's a huge portion). Also, if you get a ticket and pay within a week or so it's only a $10 fine.

[Zacha341]

My remaining concern is rather or not it will matter how many quarters [[or card swipes) you apply to a meter if they strictly enforce the 1 hour time limit, per specific car, using the 1 hour meters. You could still get a ticket or tickets. At least in Royal Oak you have the two hour meters so you could reasonably go to dinner or shop and relax for a bit.

BOTTOM LINE: This was all poorly thought out and executed by the city. That is unquestionable, thus they've had to postpone the whole doggone thing as they know that without signage reflecting the new policies on the meters most will fight the tickets. And they should IMO.

What a mess! And I am have business to take care of downtown tomorrow... Good times for the private agency hiring folks to give out the tickets and the graphic service/ print people who will ultimately need to print out the signage and notices... are they taking job applications?

If you can't beat em' - join em'!

This isn't nearly this big a deal.

I find it sort of hard to believe that people who otherwise want to come downtown will not just because they have to pay $2 for a parking meter. The thing I don't like is it will encourage baseball fans to use private parking lots, which as someone else says will just encourage the parking-lot empires we already have. Although most of the Tiger fans already do that anyway, I guess.

Also, a lot of the meters have credit cards, so it's not that hard to pay [[the News says "only a portion," conveniently leaving out how much of a portion--I would bet it's a huge portion). Also, if you get a ticket and pay within a week or so it's only a $10 fine.

[internet_pseudopod]

The bizarre thing about this plan is that they intend to make $10 million from it. According to one of the earlier stories posted in this thread they only make $10 million a year from the daytime parking enforcement when they are giving out tickets like Halloween candy! Unless there is some sort of collusion with the lot owners to force people to park on the street I can't see this program generating that much revenue.

[DetroitPole]

I'd estimate a good half of the card readers do not work.

Whose friend/family member gets the contract for new meter stickers? I'm sure they will be defective and fall off in the rain. Can we get some more of those stupid weird plastic things to cover the streetlight bases while we're at it? If the city didn't do dumb shit like that in the first place, or pay people like former Department of Human Services Director Shenetta Coleman to lie, cheat, and steal, they would not need to literally nickle and dime the common person at the parking meter to cover the budget that they screwed up.

Oh yeah, are those Crown Vics with the X in the middle of their license plate going to get tickets after hours too? I see those parked in ridiculous places all the time. Hmm, probably not...oh yeah, what are we still doing with those?

[manualshift]

They are out slapping new stickers on all meters right now.

For those that don't know. When you get a ticket for at a non-working or defective meter, note the parking meter on the ticket and write defective meter. Make a copy and then mail in. Usually results in no fine.

[Rocko]

For those that don't know. When you get a ticket for at a non-working or defective meter, note the parking meter on the ticket and write defective meter. Make a copy and then mail in. Usually results in no fine.

This happened to me on Griswold in the block with the Dime last summer. The central smart-box thingy wasn't working and wouldn't even accept any coins. The meter maid gave every car on the block a ticket. I mailed it back with a letter about the situation giving time of day and block, etc., and got a letter back a month or two later saying my fine was cancelled. It really does work if you can document the situation. Who says the old Duncan meters are so bad? If a central box goes out, the whole block is FREE PARKING!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JBMcB]

[QUOTE=manualshift;256764] When you get a ticket for at a non-working or defective meter, note the parking meter on the ticket and write defective meter. Make a copy and then mail in. Usually results in no fine.[/QUOTE That didn't work for my friend who got a ticket for a non-existent meter. He sent in a letter and protested in person. The response was that the meters were scheduled to go in when he got the ticket, and an attendant would not write such a ticket. Perhaps the first was true, but the second definitely wasn't.

[Zacha341]

Ok--here's a report: I was downtown today [[Saturday). Parked on Washington not far from Cobo center. I loaded the as meter full as I could with quarters so I would'nt get a ticket. I was at one of those electronic 'central' box meter things and it had an INSERT in the 'schedule' window that said Monday thru Saturday thru 10 PM. They must have just put these in.

Up the block I saw some of the old fashioned meters with a recently applied sticker of the new times, so cheap the type was already coming off - like from a home HP printer. The metal street signs bear the old times. I talked to several people including a lot owner who said the new ticketing schedule was not in place yet. Anyone else downtown this weekend or going this evening?