Comments on: Parking Fines to Increase in Ann Arbor?

By: Andy Piper

Andy Piper — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:37:27 +0000

How about Evanston IL – mid sized college town – for comparison.

I got stung by one of those over 14 days tickets. Acually two tickets, one in front of Big Ten Burrito on S. State and one while i was in Moosejaw spending several hundred dollars. I curtailed my trips to Big Ten Burrito and instead go to Qdoba on Washtenaw and on Plymouth. I quit going to Moosejaw and now go to REI instead. It really made me angry to get such a large fine and caused me to reconsider my options.

Also, I noticed the bases on those new meters (on William) are already rusting. Poor design.

By: Tom Whitaker

Tom Whitaker — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:32:28 +0000

RE: 46:
I would appreciate more info on the processing costs. $1 would barely cover postage and the cost of the envelope, etc. I’ve heard the figure somewhat reversed; that the City actually only nets about 1$ on a $10 ticket, due to the processing costs. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle (at least I hope it’s better than I heard).
Can A2C check into this for us?

By: anna ercoli schnitzer

anna ercoli schnitzer — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:05:20 +0000

An incidental note: A friendly Community Service Representative (a/k/a Parking Meter Ticketer) told me the other day that about half the time the new parking payment stations do not work. He said this with a smile despite actually seeming quite discouraged about the situation.

By: John Rinne

John Rinne — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:31:29 +0000

A curious thing I heard about was that parking tickets are processed in New York/Detroit at a cost of $1/ticket.
If this is true, aren’t there any Ann Arbor companies capable of performing these functions?

By: John Rinne

John Rinne — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:25:17 +0000

This last year I used the downtown kiosks exactly twice, and was suprised at how complicated it was.

Instead of a simple fee explanation chart of: “(example)5minutes=10cents, 1hour=50cents, etc”, and in big letters: “You have 30 minutes remaining. Time expires at 3:56pm”, the screen was small and required navigating a menu structure.
In addition to that, a week ago the 5th/William exit machine decided it wouldn’t accept the paid ticket card, so I got trapped in the lot with vehicles behind me. Not nice to have happen when the windows are frozen shut.

It sounds petty, but ease of use probably greatly contributes to a shoppers decision. After driving through downtown traffic, what shopping patron wants to walk an extra half block then stand out in the cold pushing buttons trying to figure how much time they safely have?

It seems like a “forest through the trees” situation for the DDR. Downtown shopping should not be a punative experience, and shoppers will eventually make a habit of going elsewhere.

By: anna ercoli schnitzer

anna ercoli schnitzer — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:21:51 +0000

Yes, I have noticed lots of them all around the unpaved lot between West Liberty and West Washington. I was kind of surprised because Republic Parking usually does an outstanding job of keeping their lots clean and free of debris, but I guess they just cannot keep up with those numerous small receipts flying everywhere.

By: Rici

Rici — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:43:28 +0000

Has anybody besides me noticed the number of ePark receipts that are littering up the sidewalks? It’s a real nuisance. I wish they would put a little trash bin on the side of each pay center, so people could dispose of them that way. It might only reduce the litter by 50%, but even that would be an improvement.

By: Fred Posner

Fred Posner — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:39:12 +0000

Don’t be sorry abc. :)

City council School Board.

Schools are completely different matter than parking meters, parking, or many of the mundane tasks that a city council has to deal with on a daily basis. I don’t think comparing school board spending to the city council levying of parking fines is a valid comparison.

That being said, my comments in the school district were to show how other areas, such as Ohio does well at more than $1,000.00 less per student. The New Jersey example showed a higher spending amount with a horrible graduation rate and people graduating without basic skills. This was in discussion to my questioning of a school board trying to raise budget when they are approximately $2000.00 per pupil over the national average, have seen an increase of $50 million to their budget in 6 years, and have a pattern of declining enrollment. I bring this up only to clarify the context of what you posted.

I think this has no relevance to the parking meter fines or my belief in what a city council does.

By: abc

abc — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:12:25 +0000

I am sorry Mr. Posner, but in the school millage thread you were all about comparing the Ann Arbor Public School District’s spending patterns to other places. You referenced a number of comparative studies, and specifically compared the district to Ohio school districts, and New Jersey school districts, as well as private schools, as best as I can remember. So just what do you mean when you write, “I’ve never been a fan of the comparative study approach taken by city councils. When it suits them…”?

By: Fred Posner

Fred Posner — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:14:18 +0000

I’ve never been a fan of the comparative study approach taken by city councils. When it suits them, they compare themselves to big cities… other times smaller. Instead I’ve always dreamed of a representative council that actually can think and create on their own. That being said, I think once we define what the goal is then it’s time to set the path. If the goal is raising revenue, fine. I’d disagree but at least I’d understand the goal. If the goal is to bring more people downtown, great. Even if the goal was to keep cars from downtown… whatever the main goal is, I think it’s best to define it, and then go from there.