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| Vancouver top up meters |
Some nine months ago we posted word that there was an experiment at hand to see if motorists in a number of Canadian cities might be able to use a system which would let them top up their parking meters remotely by smartphone. In fact, this system has been operating successfully in Vancouver since 2006. Of course, Vancouver meters have a public clock that shows the time remaining. Unlike Toronto meters, they do not issue parking slips. Nonetheless, the top-up application should be adjustable to Toronto meters. Our post in September 2011 said the idea was mentioned by Councillor Karen Stintz. Although she has not yet replied to mail from The South Bayview Bulldog on this topic, our post at the time attributed this explanation to her: Drivers would pre-register, phone the number on the meter, and buy more time by redialing the number. If a parking officer wanted to issue a ticket he would have to check the electronic time clock to see if the driver was overdue. Toronto has what many taxpayers feel is a rapacious tax collection system posing as parking control. We call it “gotcha” parking and indeed that is what it is. This system would be an opportunity for City Council to prove that it really has the best interest of taxpayers at heart and is not just intent on picking their pockets. Vancouver Sun
