From: dscheidt@panix.com   
      
   Charles Bishop  wrote:   
   :In article , Bill Gill    
   :wrote:   
      
   :> On 9/11/2015 9:24 AM, Charles Bishop wrote:   
   :> > In article ,   
   :> >   danny burstein  wrote:   
   :> >> In  David Scheidt    
   :> >> writes:   
   :> >>   
   :> >>> Such scams happen from time to time in the US.  A number of   
   :> >>> municipally owned parking lots in Chicago have signs that say   
   :> >>> something to the effect of "put your money in the ticket machine,   
   :> >>> anyone asking for it is scamming", and a friend had his car towed from   
   :> >>> a lot where he'd paid to park while attending a concert.   
   :> >>   
   :> >> Not always a complete scam.   
   :> >>   
   :> >> In NYC, for example, there are municpal parking lots where   
   :> >> you can pay the meter for an hour.   
   :> >>   
   :> >> One of which I frequently used.   
   :> >>   
   :> >> There would be people there who'd, for an extra dollar   
   :> >> a hit, would re-feed the meter for you so you could   
   :> >> stay in the lot longer.   
   :> >>   
   :> >> - every so often the city would put an actual traffic   
   :> >> agent there and ticket you if your car was there   
   :> >> longer than the hour even if the meter was reset.   
   :> >>   
   :> >> - under NYC rules you're supposed to move when the   
   :> >> time is up and refeeding the meter doesn't clear you.   
   :> >   
   :> > It's the same for the parking meters on the street in LA, CA, as well.   
   :> >   
   :> That's pretty standard.  One of the ideas behind having parking   
   :> meters isn't just to make money for the city*.  It is to keep   
   :> people from taking up the parking all day.  That way people can   
   :> park to get to their shopping or whatever.   
   :>   
   :> *Money for the city doesn't hurt the powers that be.   
      
   :I seem to remember that back in the day(TM) longer parking wasn't as   
   :much of a concern. Or, that is, no so much of a concern that I heard   
   :about it as much as I do now. It was a given that someone could use a   
   :meter as a long term parking space as long as they fed the meter.   
      
   :Now, though there are warning signs on the street or on the meters   
   :themselves. I assume this is at the behest of the merchants who see more   
   :shopping if there is more turnover, and they don't care of nearby office   
   :workers have to park elsewhere. This policy is also likely to be good   
   :for the PTB as well, with an increase in fines for those that park too   
   :long.   
      
   People use metered spots for long term parking when they're cheaper   
   than the alternative.  If parking at a meter costs a dollar an hour,   
   and you can park in a garge all dayfor $5, no one is going to park on   
   the street while they work.  If parking at a meter costs a dollar an   
   hour, and a garage is $30 for all day, lots of people will be tempted   
   to park on the street and feed the meter.  Merchants like the meters   
   to be cheap, so people will shop there, which drives this imbalance in   
   pricing.   
      
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