Royal Oak's high tech parking meters face numerous problems

[Jimaz]

Royal Oak's high tech parking meters face numerous problems

The city of Royal Oak aims to remove its problematic high-tech parking meters, which include license plate readers. The issue arose because the meters did not account for Michigan's requirement of license plates only on the back of cars.

... requiring everyone to back into their parking space.

Our cybernetic overlords are testing how much additional inconvenience we meat puppets are willing to tolerate without revolting. We are now their toys.

[JBMcB]

Our cybernetic overlords are testing how much additional inconvenience we meat puppets are willing to tolerate without revolting. We are now their toys.

This is about money. They read your license and ticket you automatically when the meter is up. The added bonus is when you leave the meter resets and the next person can't use your balance.

[Kathleen]

Royal Oak files lawsuit against its parking meter contractor
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2024...er-contractor/

For me, it was more problematic when first installed, but I've gotten used to how it works. When possible, I just park in the nearest parking garage where the first two hours are free.

[Jimaz]

Royal Oak sues parking systems company WXYZ-TV

Royal Oak is suing their parking systems operator over problems with the parking system that was designed to make things easier for people coming into the city.

Now I'm curious whether or not this has been tried elsewhere or if Royal Oak was just the first trial.

[Richard]

Designed to make it easier for those who come into the city or another tool to track those who come into the city and how long is the information stored or who is it sold to.

The standard reply would be,we store it on a server and do not sell it,the same servers where even government agencies cannot keep them secure.

Every event that happens on the street is instantly communicated to the main SentryLink municipality system.

Sentry Link dispatches photo files and data to run license plate numbers through databases to compare to those flagged for outstanding violations, criminal records, amber alerts or stolen cars.

We can display targeted contextual offers from local merchants that are meaningful to drivers of particular types of car.

[XDetroitr]

Why does every city have a different parking app? Ferndale, RO, and Birmingham use 3 different apps. The Royal Oak system is especially unique [[and confusing to non-residents) from any process I've seen here on the East Coast.

[Henry Whalley]

...We are now their toys.

Problem solved. I don't go to Royal Joke.

[Richard]

Why does every city have a different parking app? Ferndale, RO, and Birmingham use 3 different apps. The Royal Oak system is especially unique [[and confusing to non-residents) from any process I've seen here on the East Coast.

Because there are multiple companies that own the systems and work different deals with the cities.

When you peel back the layers in this one - the system was designed by a couple of people in Canada ,they franchise the system out to different vendors who then market it to the city.

They collect a flat fee of $300 for every meter installed and a percentage of collected revenue.

Is pretty simple in our city ,the city owns the curbside meters,pay at a kiosk according to zones.

Park at the meter during week days and it is $1.50 per hour,park in the city garage free during the week $1 per hour weekends.

The private lots are $25 for 4 hours on the weekends.

They do not feel the need to take your picture,or track you outside of the record of payment.

They did try the facial recognition câmaras for 5 years at the cost of $1.8 million but dropped it because they only caught 2 people in those 5 years.

But this system they are referring to here seems to be more about tracking and control of the elements that visit the city,which is no surprise as it originated in Canada.

I agree if a city needs to be that intrusive that’s one’s option,skip them.

Our system is simple,even I can figure it out quickly.

It’s like anything else,the more electronic gizmos you stick in there the more problems.

They cannot just do quick,easy and simple.

[canuck]

In Montreal, I use an app where I type in the number of the parking spot, and choose the time limit and pay on my phone. I get an alarm when it’s over, and can pay more if I need to stay longer, from a distant location.

[Lowell]

Why does every city have a different parking app? Ferndale, RO, and Birmingham use 3 different apps. The Royal Oak system is especially unique [[and confusing to non-residents) from any process I've seen here on the East Coast.

I hear you. Having used them all, Royal Oak's was by far the worst.

IMO Detroit has by far the simplest, most efficient and convenient. Once the app is set up with your car license[s], you put in a zone number, which covers a several block area, set your amount of time, click pay, and are all set.

Best of all you can move to other spots in the zone without going through that again and continue using the time you paid for. This is great for merchants too as it allows and encourages multi-stop shopping.

I would like to see the state mandate that as a unified single app method while allowing local governments to set the rates for their zones.

[Zacha341]

^ Yes. The city of Detroit 'Park Detroit' app is excellent. Well developed - easy to use. No need for quarters.

I used it often!

[Richard]

The Zone thing explains why they switched our system from entering in your space number instead of just the tag,but with our kiosks you can pay cash or card - or you can do the app thing which covered all the bases.

[K-slice]

Park Detroit is a model of how city parking should work. With a moderate level of enforcement, which Detroit has. It keeps people paying, keeps spaces from being misused, and doesnt feel like a parking dystopia where you get a ticket for staying 1-minute over your time. It's also cheap and easy to implament, probably much easire than the thousands of cameras and lights that RO needs to make their system work.

[Rocket]

Problem solved. I don't go to Royal Joke.

Ditto !

And now we've lost ferndale.

They removed almost all of the parking spaces. All the businesses look closed from the street, and I don;t feel safe parking in what may or may not be an actual space. The 3 blocks around Como's have a total of one parking space.

Why do they hate business so much? Who makes up their City Clowncil?

In the past 5 moths I have seen one nervous looking older couple on bicycles. That's it. I can't believe that couple's nervous ride is worth the loss of so many millions in business revenue.

Hamtramck has the system with cameras on Bollards at every spot. Hardly anyone parks in front of stores anymore. I know I won't. I have the cell numbers of the businesses owners I buy product from, and I call them and have them meet me in the alley so i don;t have to park a block away and walk. I only go into the Ham 6x a year now. Used to be 2x a week.

[Danny]

When gov't leaders used contracted corps to do their dirty work, they don't mostly do the clean work at all.

[K-slice]

Ditto !

And now we've lost ferndale.

They removed almost all of the parking spaces. All the businesses look closed from the street, and I don;t feel safe parking in what may or may not be an actual space. The 3 blocks around Como's have a total of one parking space.

What are you babbling about? There is a public parking lot literally right behind Como's, and another one accorss 9 mile from it, and another 1-block north, and a giant new parking garage that's a 5 minute walk away. Seriously dude, if you're going to spout blatant lies at lease make them a little harder to debunk...

[Rocket]

What are you babbling about? There is a public parking lot literally right behind Como's, and another one accorss 9 mile from it, and another 1-block north, and a giant new parking garage that's a 5 minute walk away. Seriously dude, if you're going to spout blatant lies at lease make them a little harder to debunk...

There used to be 6-8 parking spaces on Woodward on Como's block. Now there are zero. [For the benefit of non-existent bicyclists].

I mentioned how the businesses look closed from Woodward. They do.

You debunked nothing.

Yes there is a tight parking lot behind it, but they have those digital meters that you have to memorize your plate, then enter your data on, and you aren't given a receipt. So if you get an illiterate ticket, you have no means to fight it.

And who's going to park in a garage and walk 5 min just to see if the service looks quick? I'd rather drive a few min farther north to Panda Express, Crispelli's or the like, where I can park ON property, and quickly go somewhere else if the service looks slow.

[Pat001]

I have four parking aps on my phone. Would be nice if they could be consolidated.