Coupon Car Parking

[Saint]

I was just pointing out that the technology that QRM mentioned is already use in multi storey carparks.

[maneo]

It's my friends car and she has given it to me for a few weeks but never explained this screwed up system to me - sorry, I'm sticking by my guns guys...

-coin(s) in machine
-prints ticket
-place ticket on dashboard
-don't need to find a shop

how can a piece of paper purchased in a shop be any more efficient? don't tell me that no one has ever parked in a space and then realised that they are out of tickets.

Parking coupons are sold at petrol stations.
Unless your vehicle is electric, it is likely you will go to the petrol station many times before you even need to buy new coupons.

Try to keep your wits about you when getting in your car.
When you get low on parking coupons, buy more the next time you buy petrol.
It's no big deal.
Of course, life can be unforgiving for the clueless.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Of course, life can be unforgiving for the clueless.

Especially if they park there and think "it'll only be 5 minutes - she'll be right" and then comes back to find a $30 parking ticket instead of running to the nearest petrol kiosk, parking there for the 5 minutes it would take to run in and buy a booklet or two of parking tickets.

Only one real problem I can see with the ticket thing is you can also get a ticket for littering if you aren't careful. Be sure to keep the "chads" in your car or ashtray and don't just punch them out and let 'em drop to the ground. People have been caught and fined for littering that way.

[QRM]

I was just pointing out that the technology that QRM mentioned is already use in multi storey carparks.

But I have never seen it in roadside parking bays. Hong Kong has meters where you pay by taping your cash card on the pole,

I dont know where th OP comes from but the Bourough of Richmond near London has the same system, scratch cards, for parking.

[yoongf]

... why not dump some money in a machine, get your ticket and be done with it?

Having machines that collect $$ at the various carparks means having a huge cash collection organisation, which will require daily rounds to retrieve the cash, and top up the change. Not to mention huge maintenance agreements to service all these machines. Also, given the local weather, such machines tend to require higher maintenance, and downtime means lost revenue.

Of course.. the obvious advantage is that selling coupons in advance is similar to prepaid deposits. Collect $ upfront even before service delivery.

What can be better than a coupon system that is applicable to carparks structures, as well as roadside parking. Simply planting a pole, and painting some lines on the ground, and a cash cow is born.

[taxico]

...a cash cow is born.

agreed. plus this coupon system could be (i may be wrong here) a remnant from a long way back. this is my take though...

with land scarce, there're better places to install "parking technology" (multi-story carparks) than machines on sidewalks all over...

with an established distrubution chain for sale of coupons in place, i don't see why the government needs to install the ticket machines either.

doesn't make financial sense to me, if i had to decide between the two. no point plowing money into metered spaces.

like out of towners complaining about alt side parking, it's something that has to be dealt with, grief regardless.

but as the saying goes... when in rome! but this gives you more tales of woe to recount at a later time, eh!

think about it this way: at least you didn't get a ticket.

[bruinbear]

Don't understand system say screwed up. Wah say. Don't traffic drugs ok? Can get hanged you know.

ERP parking gantries? Automation. Confirmed get the correct payment.

Many people cheat when it comes to coupon parking. Enforcement is also generally quite lax unless you park at one of those really 'hot' places.

[road.not.taken]

Interesting post bruinbear

The fact is, the parking coupon is an antiquated, inefficient system that is going the way of the Dodo. I think in 10 years it'll be gone altogether. It's a simple enough system, and kind of quaint really, but it'll be like those people who used to sit in the little booths at the entrances of the 'Restricted Zone', just not cost effective and in keeping with Singapore's vision of a world class city.

That doesn't excuse quidsin's attitude however.

[taxico]

ERP parking gantries? Automation. Confirmed get the correct payment.

i heard there've been a spate of faulty/non-deduction of value from the ERP cards... (and a corollary, fines and complaints)

nothing electrical/automated can be really "confirmed" or fault-free. MTBF, yes?

p/s: also recall now some car parks suck out more money than necessary but drivers none the wiser, too.

[durain]

during the good old days of none hi-tech singapore, the 'Restricted Zone' is enforced by a person standing there jotting down number plate for cars that hasnt got 4 or more people in a car. i kid you not!

but the parking coupon has been none hi-tech every since.

[sundaymorningstaple]

during the good old days of none hi-tech singapore, the 'Restricted Zone' is enforced by a person standing there jotting down number plate for cars that hasnt got 4 or more people in a car. i kid you not!

but the parking coupon has been none hi-tech every since.

I remember them! I also remember when buses had a ticket puncher and transfers with punched holes in 'em. They didn't have Aircon either! That was also pre CTE as well.

[maneo]

Ah, the good old days.

[bruinbear]

The LTA will tell you that error rate for Cashcards is like 0.000001% or something like that.

But by and large, it works.

Coupons will go away? Actually I don't think so. Many HDB carparks continue to be too small or too under-utilised to warrant the investment in the ERP-type gantries. Typically if the HDB carpark serves residential flats, it wouldn't warrant the ERP type system. The coupon parking system will continue.

However, when the carpark gets fairly busy, e.g. very near the town center or a cluster of amienities, then the benefits of installing the ERP like system outweigh the costs.