New Parking Meters

[Ernest Street]

I suggest to my fellow downtown parkers to BOYCOTT these Bull$hit meters and park elswhere.   Are you dumb enough to swipe your precious debit card? Really? 
Don't be a sheep...Don't play along with their games.

[urbanlibertarian]

This is improved customer service and an improvement over the coin-only meters.  I agree that no meters would be even better but with just time limits we would still need enforcement and a way to pay for it.  Currently the meters and tickets pay for the enforcement.

[mtraininjax]

Someone without change on them.

Who does not have change in their car? You spend so much time getting in the car, focusing on driving your 6,000 pound beast, parking it in a slot, and you forget a lousy nickel, dime or quarter? Are you kidding me?

Someone post the cost benefit analysis of these new meters and when they will actually pay for themselves? I doubt they save us money, and in fact, I believe they cost more to operate and manage and secure. I'll continue to use coins.

[duvaldude08]

Someone without change on them.

Who does not have change in their car? You spend so much time getting in the car, focusing on driving your 6,000 pound beast, parking it in a slot, and you forget a lousy nickel, dime or quarter? Are you kidding me?

Someone post the cost benefit analysis of these new meters and when they will actually pay for themselves? I doubt they save us money, and in fact, I believe they cost more to operate and manage and secure. I'll continue to use coins.

So people are not allowed to forget change? Seriously?

[Timkin]

Someone without change on them.

Who does not have change in their car? You spend so much time getting in the car, focusing on driving your 6,000 pound beast, parking it in a slot, and you forget a lousy nickel, dime or quarter? Are you kidding me?

Someone post the cost benefit analysis of these new meters and when they will actually pay for themselves? I doubt they save us money, and in fact, I believe they cost more to operate and manage and secure. I'll continue to use coins.

So people are not allowed to forget change? Seriously?

  Seriously, Duvaldude, Seriously 

[iMarvin]

I find it hard to believe that someone wouldn't have any change on them, but why does it matter? I'm pretty sure plenty of people will take advantage of the debit card slot. The parking meters needed to be updated.

[acme54321]

Well a lot of the old meters only take quarters.  If I have any spare change in the car it's usually dimes, nickels, or pennies.

[duvaldude08]

Someone without change on them.

Who does not have change in their car? You spend so much time getting in the car, focusing on driving your 6,000 pound beast, parking it in a slot, and you forget a lousy nickel, dime or quarter? Are you kidding me?

Someone post the cost benefit analysis of these new meters and when they will actually pay for themselves? I doubt they save us money, and in fact, I believe they cost more to operate and manage and secure. I'll continue to use coins.

So people are not allowed to forget change? Seriously?

  Seriously, Duvaldude, Seriously 

LOL For real. I have actually forgotten to get change before when going DT. As busy as most of lifes are, we often forget the silly things. It happends

[Bativac]

Someone without change on them.

Who does not have change in their car? You spend so much time getting in the car, focusing on driving your 6,000 pound beast, parking it in a slot, and you forget a lousy nickel, dime or quarter? Are you kidding me?

Someone post the cost benefit analysis of these new meters and when they will actually pay for themselves? I doubt they save us money, and in fact, I believe they cost more to operate and manage and secure. I'll continue to use coins.

I - and many of my peers - seldom carry cash at all. I have zero change in my car. My wife has no change in her car. I always 100% of the time have my debit card on me, as I think many people do. The new meters are great. I've had to use them three or four times now and have been able to relax, not worrying that my lack of change means I'm risking a parking ticket.

I'd rather see the meters gone but this is a definite improvement.

[Steve]

Who does not have change in their car? You spend so much time getting in the car, focusing on driving your 6,000 pound beast, parking it in a slot, and you forget a lousy nickel, dime or quarter? Are you kidding me?

Someone post the cost benefit analysis of these new meters and when they will actually pay for themselves? I doubt they save us money, and in fact, I believe they cost more to operate and manage and secure. I'll continue to use coins.

So..I don't have a true cost benefit. However, the old meters only took quarters. I personally this morning, had 6 dimes, 4 nickels, and 9 pennies in my change spot in my car (I counted, because I was downtown and had no quarters). So, my guess is that the difference between replacing the meters with nickel/dime/quarter meters, or these was probably not that much of a difference. If you're going to the well anyway, get something that will last for a while.

[Ralph W]

Knowing what we know about downtown parking, one would think that arriving downtown without the proper coins would indicate piss poor prior planning. Unless, of course, it's only by accident that downtown is the destination.

[mtraininjax]

I'd rather see the meters gone but this is a definite improvement.

OK, to each his/her own, but at what cost? Surely we did not need new parking meters for Laura Street, we could have reused some of the older ones, cleaned them up, painted them, or just put DVI stickers all over them to make them look like fun. So part of that 2.7 million for Laura Street could have been used to actually bring businesses downtown, instead of really super cool parking meters.

Again, lost decade is over, idiocy has hopefully vacated the 4th floor of 117 West Duval Street, but we are all watching for signs of its return.

[tufsu1]

mtrain....the costs of the parking meters and parking staff are matched with collections and tickets....so, if you never go downtown, you're not paying for it!

[ChriswUfGator]

mtrain....the costs of the parking meters and parking staff are matched with collections and tickets....so, if you never go downtown, you're not paying for it!

That's actually not true, they normally lose money on an annual basis. At best they break even.

And that doesn't include the costs associated with running off potential customers who are sick of the tickets.

[Timkin]

I would have to side with M-train on this one . ( Don't have a coronary , M-train )  I think the money could have been more wisely spent on refurbishing old meters instead of the super duper new ones.   

I do not go downtown very much , but when i do,  like all the rest of us ,  we pay to park.   

BTW I like the way Laura St looks .