Comments on: DDA Ponies Up: Parking, Pipes, Planning

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:50:37 +0000

I’ve seen frustrated users as well. Also groups of three or more waiting their turn while another user figured it out. In hindsight, maybe these are better suited to South University, where younger people who are more adept with their cell phones are the primary users, rather than the Main Street area, where users are older and more used to the old-style meters. Then again, if they’re intended to be used throughout the downtown, we’ll all need to get used to them.

Leah, if you’re reading this, please consider the comments here. If the DDA board isn’t aware that people are struggling with the units, the problems won’t be addressed. Having the Republic Parking employees out there to help people seems like it was probably helpful. Any chance they could do that for a while longer?

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:41:05 +0000

Someone please correct me if I am mistaken that this was the first step in introducing variable pricing. It seems a lot of money spent for an unpopular product.

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:10:44 +0000

Seconded. I have managed to pay for spaces, but never to add time to a space. I have–I think–managed to inadvertently pay for a space somewhere else in downtown by punching in numbers in the wrong order. The user interface on these things sucks, and combined with the other issues (forgetting your meter number, having to trudge around in the snow looking for the machine, the fact that ticketers show up instanter when the meter runs out) make for a bad experience all around. Anyone in the software industry should be familiar with the fact that solutions the technologists like are not necessarily solutions that the users like.

By: anna ercoli schnitzer

anna ercoli schnitzer — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:28:51 +0000

Everybody loves the new parking pay stations? I respectfully disagree. I am downtown walking near those stations quite often, and all I have observed is would-be payers exhibiting frustration and difficulty in using them. I have never heard a positive word about these stations from any member of the public who has had to use them.

By: John Floyd

John Floyd — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:25:03 +0000

If John Mouat really wants to mitigate trip hazards, he can start with the new “Art” bike racks around downtown. Knee-high, colored to blend in with pavement, they have tripped me up more than once. They’re especially dangerous at night. Even if one manages to stay upright, the impact on the knee is not fun.

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:28:35 +0000

Is the $600,000 on top of the $226,000 or is it the new total allocation? Regardless, it’s remarkable that the original plan for the one water main would have cost even more than this chosen alternative that is triple or quadruple the original estimate. Even more remarkable is the lack of discussion on such a large change. Did the board packet explain it all well enough to address the obvious question of why it was so far off?