Comments on: Feeding parking meters voluntarily? http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/06/19/feeding-parking-meters-voluntarily/ Can you think of a better name? Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:25:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Fagstein » Mayor Labonté http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/06/19/feeding-parking-meters-voluntarily/comment-page-1/#comment-24603 Fagstein » Mayor Labonté Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:58:59 +0000 http://blog.fagstein.com/?p=417#comment-24603 [...] introduced the Parco-don, a voluntary parking meter that accepts all those pennies we have no other use for, and distributes the money raised to [...] [...] introduced the Parco-don, a voluntary parking meter that accepts all those pennies we have no other use for, and distributes the money raised to [...]

]]> By: Fagstein http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/06/19/feeding-parking-meters-voluntarily/comment-page-1/#comment-505 Fagstein Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:11:41 +0000 http://blog.fagstein.com/?p=417#comment-505 Spoken like a true non-driver. I notice too that this group has partnered with advertising companies to make this happen. Did none of them think that parking meters have a bad reputation in this city? Spoken like a true non-driver.

I notice too that this group has partnered with advertising companies to make this happen. Did none of them think that parking meters have a bad reputation in this city?

]]> By: princess iveylocks http://blog.fagstein.com/2007/06/19/feeding-parking-meters-voluntarily/comment-page-1/#comment-504 princess iveylocks Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:04:03 +0000 http://blog.fagstein.com/?p=417#comment-504 Two points: 1) That prototype (I'm assuming it's theirs and not yours... image credit?) is poorly designed. Without your explanation, I had no idea what it was for, or what it benefits. I'm still not sure how credible L'Itineraire is; although, strangely, if they put up fake parking meters, it might function as good PR. 2) By operating parking meters, Montreal is not "taking away hard-earned money", rather, people who choose to operate a motor vehicle and park it downtown are paying the opportunity cost of having the government provide roads for them to drive on. They're directly funding a service based on usage (think toll roads), instead of supporting it indirectly via taxes. (I realise this concept is strange to Quebeckers...) Tim Harford's "The Undercover Economist" has an excellent explanation of why the difference matters. Two points:

1) That prototype (I'm assuming it's theirs and not yours... image credit?) is poorly designed. Without your explanation, I had no idea what it was for, or what it benefits. I'm still not sure how credible L'Itineraire is; although, strangely, if they put up fake parking meters, it might function as good PR.

2) By operating parking meters, Montreal is not "taking away hard-earned money", rather, people who choose to operate a motor vehicle and park it downtown are paying the opportunity cost of having the government provide roads for them to drive on. They're directly funding a service based on usage (think toll roads), instead of supporting it indirectly via taxes. (I realise this concept is strange to Quebeckers...) Tim Harford's "The Undercover Economist" has an excellent explanation of why the difference matters.

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