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City of Lowell Parking Kiosk video
Tonight the city unveiled a new instructional video that helps people understand how to use the (relatively) new parking kiosks now deployed throughout downtown Lowell. The video was produced by the Lowell High School Telecommunications Academy.
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In my opinion these parking kiosks are a bad idea. The video promotes their “simplicity.” What is “simpler” than the old system: you pull into a space, lock your car, put a few quarters in the meter, and go? Now you park, lock your car, look at your meter number, remember it, walk to kiosk, go through the steps, walk back to you car, unlock it, put the ticket on the dash so it is visible, lock your car (again). Do these kiosks save the tax payers money? I would be interested in seeing some data on this but I am skeptical that it does. There is a positive side to the kiosks though. They help me appreciate the sections of the downtown that do not yet have them.
Another positive of the kiosks is that Lowell telecommunications did a nice job on the video.
I love the kiosks. I don’t think you have to display the ticket on your windshield. You don’t have to have lots of change. Another convenient feature is that you can “feed the meter” from any kiosk location, not necessarily the one you began with. It also ends the annoyance of thinking you have found a great parking space, only to see the dreaded JAMMED when you get to the meter.
It does help the meter maids in enforcement, though, and I don’t think that’s a positive as they are even more ruthless than before!
Tony – I like LTC, but I’m pretty sure it was LET, which is Lowell Educational TV – the Lowell High TV studio and the students from the Lowell High Communications Academy produced the video. I’m a big fan of LTC and they do great work, but the high school students should get credit for the work they did.
Also, regarding the procedure at the kiosk, there’s no requirement that you put the ticket back on the dashboard. You can just keep it in your pocket I guess as evidence that you paid or at least a reminder of the time at which your time expires.
From the admin side, the kiosks make it much easier to handle the money and determine which cars are parked in violation.
I do agree that plopping a couple of quarters into the meter immediately adjacent to your car is easier, but the more one uses the kiosk, the easier it gets.
Yes, LET: nice job. I’ll try to open my heart to the kiosks.
The kiosks make a little extra money from the city, as when someone leaves with unused time the next user starts from scratch rather than taking advantage of the remaining time. They promote efficiency in collection and tracking of revenue. They are less prone to theft.
The receipt ticket has some value without the disadvantage of returning to the vehicle as hinted by Tony – it serves as a receipt in the event some failure results in a ticket, it serves as a reminder of how much time you have left as suggested by Dick, and it provides the space number to aid in the process of adding some minutes from a remote location.
Let’s hope they don’t start failing with age.
Thanks Sheila, Dick, Joe. This exchange is one of the reasons I go to Richardhowe.com: to learn.
I don’t have a problem with them, but it was always good to find a space and then-
BONUS-there’s a half hour on the meter. As Joe says, there’s never extra time on the numbered spots-none that you can use anyway. I usually need about two minutes to run into Market Street Market or Brew’d and get a coffee, and I generally have to put in a quarter.
But it is a little spooky to see that meter maid come around the corner-she holds up a little device, and it directs her right to the car that isn’t paid up. THEY KNOW.
Interesting point, Steve. I guess with this new system my old rule of not feeding the meters if I’m literally going to be in and out is no longer as safe, is it?