The Parking Meter Turns 75 Today 126
nj_peeps writes "75 years ago Carl Magee filed a patent application for what would become one of the most hated inventions in history: the parking meter. From the article: 'Magee's brainwave was to install a device that had a coin acceptor and a dial to engage a timing mechanism. A visible pointer and flag indicated the expiration of the paid period, meaning you either had to move, put in more money, or face the wrath of the local constabulary. The design continued largely unchanged for more than 40 years.'"
Cool Hand Luke . . . (Score:5, Informative)
Captain: "Maliciously destroying municipal property while under the influence. What was that?"
Luke: "Cutting the heads off of parking meters, Captain."
End of an era... (Score:5, Informative)
Parking Meter is dying...
Cheaper operations and ones that produce more written tickets for violators are more productive.
Being replaced by 'buy a ticket for half-day or full day' or more modern digital ones that detect when a car moves from the spot so the next person doesn't get free time.
Let us not forget the 'Parking Meter Fairy' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKTFCdpBsAA [youtube.com]
Although only to find out it is illegal to put coins in other peoples time slots, those things are nothing but a source for parking tickets and as we call the Ticket writers around here 'Vultures'.
Oklahoma City site of first parking meter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZQgPRFgkOA [youtube.com]
How to Hack a Parking Meter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2CZ6yHJdBs [youtube.com]
How to hack electronic parking gates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BA37BmMgBc [youtube.com]
How to Rip-off a Parking meter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOz7cdNaQ3c [youtube.com]
Hi Tech Parking Meter, Los Angeles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y76VFJ0LoOU [youtube.com]
Exact URL/link to the story. (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/05/0513parking-meter-patent/ [wired.com] since http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/ [wired.com] is just an index and will change soon.
There's something worse (Score:5, Informative)
Downtown Portland Oregon got rid of their curbside parking meters. Used to be, you got out of your car and put in a quarter or a dime (or a nickel if you're an old fogey), twisted the little thingy and went on your way.
Now you get out of your car, lock the doors (this is Portland...), walk a half block to the ticket vendor machine, and go through the five discrete steps necessary to print a ticket. Assuming you're successful, you walk back to your car, unlock the door (this is Portland...) affix the ticket to your window with the sticky back, lock the door, and go on your way.
During rush hour, you may wait in line for a significant amount of time to get your ticket. Especially if the moron in front of you can not read directions, but I digress. Parenthetically, what happens if the meter maid happens by while you're in line for your ticket? I haven't had this experience yet.
When you get back to your car, peel off the ticket and throw it on the ground. Just kidding, you're supposed to hunt for a trash can, or throw it on the floor of your car along with the empty coffee cups and breakfast burrito wrappers, but looking at the gutters downtown it appears that a lot of people just drop them on the ground.
So we've replaced the purely mechanical, non-waste-producing (but generally hated) parking meter with an electronic, waste-producing, geographically distant, ticket vending machine that's even more hated.
Time marches on.
Re:Hated, but necessary (Score:3, Informative)
I live in a small town in the UK, and I sincerely believe that parking costs are the biggest factor in driving people from the town businesses to out of town supermarkets. I really believe upping business rates a little, and making parking free except for a few key places would spur growth in the town no end. For those who don't know English towns, space is _always_ at a premium, and generally there is little to no roadside parking - what parking there is is generally a council owned extortionate multi-storey relatively (hopefully) close to town centre.
Re:End of an era... (Score:3, Informative)
We've got reserved spaces for parents with children at all our supermarkets in the UK now - Personally, I think that if your kid can't walk the extra 50 yards to get into the sugar laden crammed supermarkets you've got bigger fucking problems than not being able to park right next to the door.
No, I'm not bitter...