Scaffolding next to the condemned parking garage at Tucker & Locust prevented the adjacent parking meters on the South side of Locust Street from being upgraded with the rest of downtown. Until last week, the old meters remained on the South side of Locust between 11th & Tucker (12th). The North side got new individual meters last year.
New multi-space pay stations were installed on January 12thThe meters just before Tucker had long been blocked by scaffolding for the condemned parking garage, but the scaffolding came down in NovemberA few days later the old meters were gone, the new pay stations unwrapped. Locking a bike here may be a challenge given the proximity to the new pay station.
The other side of the street has new individual meters, not the multi-space pay stations added to the South. This is far from the only block that has both individual meters and multi-space pay stations. I guess having lots of one-way streets and streets that are closed for a block wasn’t confusing enough — now we have two different types of electronic payment machines to understand.
If you drive & park in an urban area you’ve likely received a parking ticket one time or another. So it’s no surprise that I frequently see tickets on vehicles on my trips to/from the grocery store 7 blocks East of my loft. Earlier this month I noticed the same vehicle parked in the same spot as the day before — with a ticket just like the day before. How unusual.
Thursday August 13th 11:21am, Eastbound Locust between 15th & 16th
Then I noticed a Parking Enforcement car park behind it. Maybe they’re about to boot it, I thought. I go to the corner and then across the street so I can get a good view. The woman from Parking Enforcement grabbed a blue bag out of the back seat of her official vehicle and walks toward the ticketed vehicle. I wasn’t expecting what happened next.
She opened the front door, unlocked the other doors, opened the back door and left the blue bag on the rear seat. She locks the doors at the front, returns to her official vehicle, drives off. Huh?
A Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO) takes a blue bag from her official vehicle and puts it in the backseat of the ticketed vehicle! Why? What’s in the bag? What started as a curiosity about a vehicle getting ticketed for parking in the exact same spot quickly became a curiosity about the connection between this vehicle, the PEO, and the contents of the blue bag.
Tuesday August 18 1:11pm
I thought by now the ticket had to be a decoy, but I needed proof.
Monday August 24th 12:59pm, on the way to the grocery storeAt 1:35pm I rolled back the envelope to conform the “ticket” was a blank.
I’ve documented the fake ticket, but I still needed the bag drop off.
At 3:19pm I’m across the street trying not to look conspicuous — as well as a shaved head guy in a wheelchair can.At 3:43pm the PEO is getting a blue bag out of her official vehicle.As before she walks to the other vehicle3:44pm she opens the driver’s doorWith the driver’s door still open she puts the blue bag in back. She closes the rear door and locked the doors from the front.3:45pm she’s back in her work vehicle about to pull away
At this point I feel I have enough to blog about my observations and report to Parking Enforcement and Treasurer Tishaura Jones. I still have unanswered questions: Is this her vehicle? Is she dropping off her gym bag for after work?
Two days later, Wednesday last week, I go to the grocery store and the vehicle isn’t there both times I pass by the space. Five minutes later I go out in front of my building to talk to someone — they’ve left but I can see the vehicle now parked there. I go down and see it has the fake ticket under the wiper — of course it does!
A man approaches me and starts yelling at me.
“Why you fucking with my car?”
“You’d better mind your own fucking business!”
Then something about being in a wheelchair. By this point I’m leaving — I felt threatened and vulnerable. But across Locust at 16th I turned to look back and take one more photo.
Wednesday August 26th at 12:51pm, the vehicle and guy who threatened me in the distance — he’s wearing a red shirt with white shorts & cap. .Here’s a blurry cropped view.
Given that I was threatened I called 911, the police looked at my photos to get the vehicle plate and city number on the parking enforcement car. They talked to the PEO supervisor. I then emailed the head of Parking Enforcement, Tishaura Jones, and her Chief of Staff — a reply said they’d investigate. At this point I don’t know anymore than you do.
At the very least this guy and the PEO were in cahoots with the fake ticket, but I think there’s much more to the story. When, and if, I find out I’ll let you know.
July 30, 2015Downtown, Featured, ParkingComments Off on Both Styles of New Parking Payment on Same Block
New parking meters are pretty much installed throughout greater downtown St. Louis. These include multi-space pay stations and updated single-space meters. I’ve yet to determine how it was decided which type would go on which blocks. In the 7 blocks I travel to reach the store both types are used.
Last week, looking at the Chestnut bike lane, I noticed in the 1000 block of Locust each side of the street is different from the other.
1000 block of Chestnut: On the North side single space meters, other side multi-space pay stations (one circled in red)
I might map out block by block to see if a logical pattern emerges…or I’ll enquire. It just seems like downtown visitors might be confused by two different physical ways to pay for on-street parking. I still prefer the app.
July 16, 2015Featured, ParkingComments Off on Older Coin Parking Meters Now Accept Credit Cards, Smartphone Required
Eighty years ago today the very first parking meter was installed, in Oklahoma City of all places. For decades parking meters were entirely mechanical devoices, prone to mechanical failures.
From Popular Science, December 1959, via Google Books.
But the meter has been changing as new technology allows. The City of St. Louis is in the process of replacing the digital coin-operated meters that were installed about 20 years ago.
Some blocks will get multi-space pay stations, but most will get these single-space meters
In the meantime, the old meters have been updated to accept credit cards — sorta. Those of us with smartphones can set up an app to pay the parking fees with plastic. This convenience costs 35¢ 30cents extra — the same convenience fee as the new meters & pay stations that are being installed.
Our old meters now accept credit card payments
Parking rates increased throughout the city at the start of the month, so those who like using coins will need more.
New electronic meters in the city will charge $1.50 an hour throughout most of the high-usage downtown and downtown west areas, up from the $1 an hour they were as of Tuesday. Lower-usage meters in the remainder of the city will rise to $1 from the previous 75 cents.
Penalties for failing to pay at meters also will go up. The previous $10 fee — which turned to $20 if it wasn’t paid within two weeks — now will start at $15 and rise to $30 if it’s paid late. However, fine recipients now will have three weeks to pay instead of two. (Post-Dispatch)
Old & new meters don’t accept bills — coins or plastic. For more information see the Treasurer’s new parking website: ParkLouie.com.
I’ve now had two instances where I used the Parkmobile smartphone app to pay for time parking on-street, both downtown. The first was on 10th Street between Olive & Locust, the second on 13th between Olive & Pine.Both were last month. The Parkmobile app had been on my phone since late 2014, I’d only set up my profile (car license plate & credit card) but never had a need to use it since I rarely drive our shared car.
1) 10th Street:
As soon as I hit “start parking” the countdown timer began.
After parking I had two choices: walk a car length in the opposite direction of my destination and use the pay station or try out the mobile app. The combination of a shorter walk and getting to use my phone rather than fumble with money or credit card made the decision a no brainer. I knew this convenience would cost me $0.35.
I manually typed in the zone number & space number indicated on the sign for my space, I opted for two hours (maximum) and used most of it by the time I returned.
2) 13th Street:
The second time we were returning home from lunch on South Grand, we decided to stop for dessert. My husband could’ve put change in the meter while I was getting out of the car, but I wanted to use the app again.
This spot had the meters we’re all pretty familiar with plus a new green sticker with the zone number and a QR code in the bottom rightThis time I selected “scan” rather than type the number. This is the menu that pops up. I selected the first but it wouldn’t read it so I canceled and entreated manually. No space numbers here since meters are individual. Note: this screen shot was made later that dayWe paid for an hour, I’d received a 15 minute warning from the app, I took this screen shot when we got bask to our car. As we had only used 1 hour of the 2 hour maximum the app gave us the option to extend the session — which costs the time plus another $0.35 fee.
While we had dessert I tweeted about the problem with the QR code. The Treasurer’s office tweeted back“The QR code allows you to download the app…not enter the space #” This, it turns out, was untrue — more later. Whomever was tweeting even suggested I watch Parkmobile’s video if I needed help — the video isn’t on Parkmobile’s mobile-friendly site anyway.
As it turns out I was using the app correctly — the person tweeting for the Treasurer’s office didn’t understand the use of the QR code within the app. Parkmobile clarified in two tweets:
First“Hi @urbanreviewstl, if you scan the QR code in our app it will populate the zone #.”
Second“@urbanreviewstl If you scan it through an independent QR scanner, it will take you to our website. Hope this helps!”
So when it wouldn’t load that first time it was either my AT&T service or their server. If this happens to you just manually enter the zone, I tested the QR code later and it worked in seconds.
Here’s the video the Treasurer’s Office office wanted me to watch, which clarifies the QR code can be used within the app — something they didn’t realize! Have they not watched it?
I really like this app, the fact the QR code does double duty is a nice bonus. I realize not everyone likes the idea of paying $0.35 every time they park on street. But if you have a smartphone I’d advise having the app set up in case you find yourself parking and not having any change for the meter — you don’t want to wait until that point to 1) download the app 2) add your vehicle 3) link to your credit card — just have it ready to use. Eventually every meter in the city will be marked for mobile payment.
The Parkmobile app works on the following mobile devices:
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