Will the new parking meters always have babysitters?
Filling in for the now-departed Lucas Wall is Juan Alanis who today tells us how the downtown parking meter try-outs are going:
The jury is still out on which one of the seven vendors will win a contract to install new parking meters near the downtown courthouse complex. But as the five-week trial period comes to an end, the public's verdict appears favorable.
At least that's the consensus of people monitoring the use of the meters.
So, let's check out the public's view:
"I think it's wonderful," he said after having another driver explain to him how the Rhino model parking meter works.
[snip]
Lisa Vincent, one of the meter pollsters for the district, said most of the people who've come across the devices on her shift have been confused. Vincent has spent 16 hours in the last two weeks asking users about the meters.
[snip]
Eddie Kaplan, a downtown courier, is hopeful that the new technology will be easier to use, but he's not counting on it. Struggling with parking devices is an everyday part of his daily routine and one that has him skeptical of the machines.
[snip]
Wilbanks was more hopeful, even after having to resort back to coins. He tried inserting his credit card into the parking meter several times unsuccessfully before going back to his truck to get change.
"I think it's going to be a lot better when the credit card works," he said.
Sounds like everything's going swell. What happens when the helpful "meter pollsters" are gone and folks who are unfamiliar with downtown parking meters have to figure them out on their own?
And there's this gem:
The firm awarded the contract eventually will install 600 meters downtown by the fall and an additional 1,400 in the near future in the rest of the city, said Liliana Rambo, the newly appointed assistant director of the Municipal Courts Parking Management Division. She said determining factors in awarding the contract include cost, how the meter works and ease of repair service.
Before coming to Houston, Rambo negotiated the purchase of 89 meters at $8,000 each for the city of Hollywood, Fla. She hopes that experience will help her purchase the devices here for no more than $7,500 each.
We do too! It's very nice of Hollywood, FL to let Rambo practice her parking meter-negotiation-skills before coming to Houston.
And last, but definitely not least, Alanis' story mentions that Cubic Corp. is one of the companies whose meters are being tested, but doesn't mention that Metro is currently suing Cubic for failing to produce a functioning "smart card" fare system.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/02/05 01:58 PM | Houston Politics | Print | Comments (3)
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