Flickr.com Photo, San Francisco ParkingMeter That Takes Plastic As Well As Coins
Can anything be more annoying than Minneapolis parking meters which only take quarters? Oh, yes...
...I almost forgot: young men who stand on street corners for hours on end, openly dealing crack, while dedicated real estate agents try to sell numerous vacant houses in North Minneapolis. THAT is more annoying. But I digress and, besides, vigilant North Minneapolis citizens are putting a stop to open air drug markets.
I have another blog devoted to the issue of predatory towing, and recently posted there about some "high tech" parking meters in Minneapolis which take plastic and not just coins. (Click here for that blog post) San Francisco already has high tech meters, and one of the San Fran meters is pictured above.
I still need to go play with the new Minneapolis meters, personally, and find out if the meters take more than just quarters, but the fact the meters take plastic is--woo woo!--very exciting.
Since this concerns a City of Minneapolis issue, and not just the national issue of predatory and abusive towing, I wanted to make sure regular Johnny Northside readers know about this blog post regarding high tech parking meters in Minneapolis...especially since a push will be needed to get more.
A lot more. We need to replace ALL THE OLD CRUMMY METERS THAT ONLY TAKE QUARTERS.
So try out the new meters in Stadium Village near U of M, which have arrived thanks to Ward 2 City Councilman Cam Gordon, Green Party, and let's all push for more of the high tech meters throughout Minneapolis and not just in the Stadium Village test area.
I can't wait until there are some near the Loring Pasta Bar. It's such a pain to have to get up from our interesting conversations only to go feed the meter!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really thought about it, but having less interruptions while socializing at a cafe is DEFINITELY one side benefit of the new meters.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people do what we did that day: put in what quarters you have, then you find ways to get more at the restaurant, and you dash back outside.
I managed to confirm last night the meters take quarters, yes, but they also take dollar coins. This is not as good as taking all coins (except pennies) but it's a slight improvement.
And they're solar powered. Yes, SOLAR POWERED. Will modern wonders never cease?