Reader says anyone who defends the status quo Parking Meters here can only be a part of the problem.
…and how amy millions will the new parking meters cost? with the added bonus of tracking residents shopping and parking habits via credit card use. Way to go.
— How about:
1) get all of the stolen money back
2) implement REAL security for the quarters – not just toss them in a open buckets in an unguarded closet.
New security measures have already been put into place which make future thefts much more difficult – so why do we need to spend millions on new parking meters?
So your argument is “let’s not install smart meters that will avoid any slippage for villagers” ? What kind of a Luddite are you ? New meters might threaten the long standing tradition of municipal employees stealing quarters to pay for personal entertainment or help with the mortgage or money launder it through AC, so let’s protest against them? Sorry , anyone who defends the status quo here can only be a part of the problem. We’re not falling for it.
Parking meters need to be completely cashless. Yes, there are a few dinosaurs that still live without credit/debit cards, but these are not the people who are commuting into NYC each day, and probably not the people who are parking to shop/dine in Ridgewood.
Any time you interface cash and employees, the temptation to steal exists. Even relatively honest employees get tempted. The temptation level greatly increases if they detect an element of weakness in the process of collection and recording. In other words, temptations goes off the chart the more an employee feels they have a pretty good chance of getting away with it.
Ask any of the commuters what they think about keeping a mountain of quarters in their car because of the daily meter-feeding they have to do each morning. Ask them if they’d rather slip their card in a slot instead?
“Reader says anyone who defends the status quo Parking Meters here can only be a part of the problem.”
Well, in your opinion this is the case. How much will the transision cost and what is the maintenance? Does another entity get a cut of the proceeds for processing?
We will save on maintenance to the current meters and the salary/benefits of the person who emptys them.
People are always for what they want and they never figure out the cost.
yes you for got the cost of stealing ,which we were told was $460,000… did you add that into you calculation?
Meters should have been up dated years ago but now we know why , nothing like living in the 19th century
some how I think if the Village thought it was in their best interest to spend the money they would , …so whats the real story ???
Why not get rid of the meters. More shoppers would come to use our stores and restaurants. Everyone will be happy.
Think that through. You clearly haven’t. Free parking would simply fill the town up with commuters, including commuters from other towns.
There are single issue voters but this is a single voter issue. We should change the meters just so we can stop hearing about it from that voter.
Quite often the lone voice is the only sane voice. The man is right.
Yes lets put debit/creit card parking mter so we can track the residents movments better.
Cash is king for a reason.
Do you pay by cash or check for every purchase? Do you have a cell phone? Do you use ezpass?
#10 your right. Some people don’t get it or don’t care. Less the government knows about what I do the better off I am.
Yes, get rid of the meters and hire a private company to patrol the CBD with chalk sticks enforcing a two or three hour parking limit.
This would:
Prevent local business employees from “feeding the meter” freeing up more spaces for shoppers who spend money.
Employ a few people.
Generate more than enough violation income to turn a profit after paying the private company.
Eliminate township pension liabilities.
This is not rocket science just common sense.
What single voter issue? The entire town has been in an uproar about the quarters theft. It was on the news all over the country, all over the world. We have been the laughing stock, and for good reason, The Daily Mail in the UK ran a huge parody of our idiotic town. And the fools in charge of our town continue to be fools…………
Are you serious #10? If gpvt wants to track us, they can do that every time we talk on the phone, send an e-mail, tweet or post something online on this blog; they can see where we’ve showed ID or used our credit cards. What difference does it make if they see us shopping downtown ? Your reason fore not using smart meters – like NYC – is that it will allow the government to track residents movements ? Are you part of a terror cell ? If so, why are you posting on this blog, the govt can track you that way.
Then why are you posting on this blog #12? You think the govt can’t find you if you post something stupid anonymously ? Whop cares if you park downtown and pay with a credit card ?
As per the original comments, #10 and #12 are for the status quo, so they are part of the problem, not the solution
Basically, if you disagree with me you are part of the problem. A self-centered discourse.
NO Basically,no one in the entire town and for that matter in the entire country , some would say in the entire first world thinks we should stick to antiquated parking meters allowing people to STEAL from the tax payer . People have complained about the parking meters for at lest the last 8 years and every suggestion TO CHANGE has been met with hostility , and now we know why BECA– USE VILLAGE EMPLOYEES WERE STEALING !!!!! what part of this dont you understand ???”
BECA– USE VILLAGE EMPLOYEES WERE STEALING !!!!!
What proof do you have that other Village Employees were Stealing James?
Produce your evidence!
you need to keep up apparently you missed the Rica incident ,he was caught convicted got 5 years parole and has to pay back $460,000 , it even made the Daily Mail in the UK estimates were he took out 50 pounds a day worth of quarters and ‘nobody new anything’
I have been keeping up so I will say again
What proof do you have that other Village Employees were Stealing James?
Read that carefully James I highlighted the operative word.
you need to keep up apparently you missed the Rica incident ,he was caught convicted got 5 years parole and has to pay back $460,000 , it even made the Daily Mail in the UK estimates were he took out 50 pounds a day worth of quarters and ‘nobody new anything’ PROOF POSITIVE
So you admit you have no proof…..Just As I thought.
you need to keep up apparently you missed the Rica incident ,he was caught convicted got 5 years parole and has to pay back $460,000 , it even made the Daily Mail in the UK estimates were he took out 50 pounds a day worth of quarters and ‘nobody new anything’ PROOF POSITIVE
If there was a shred of evidence that anyone else was involved they would’ve been charged criminally or administratively already. He got away with the theft because he was the one in charge with no checks and balance, the declining economy in the cbd helped hide the shrinking revenue. Less stores= less cars less coins. The village made an attempt at coin less parking with a machine in the chestnut St. lot and it was a total disaster, the machine was broken more than it was operative, so it’s not like the village did nothing . Furthermore the employee who was stealing did not make the decisions on the meter style or coin storage, those decisions were made by past directors of the signal bureau in conjunction with previous village managers. So those decisions were made before the thief started stealing.
James your post states employees were stealing that’s plural as if there were others involved Rica did it on his own and got caught. Get over it
you need to keep up apparently you missed the Rica incident ,he was caught convicted got 5 years parole and has to pay back $460,000 , it even made the Daily Mail in the UK estimates were he took out 50 pounds a day worth of quarters and ‘nobody new anything’ PROOF POSITIVE
Let’s try a different angle. Does anyone want to take a stab at why coin-only meters are the way to go?
If it aint broke – don’t fix it.
As to using the theft as a justifiction for implementing new meters – it is not the METERS fault that there was theft – it was the criminals fault – and if you “blame” the cash for “causing” the theft – then do you also blame the woman for her clothing or actions for “causing” the rape?
The problem is NOT the coin meters. The problem is the inadequate security and accountability provided around the collected money and the unwillingness to FULLY PROSECUTE and FULLY RECIVER the money.
But lets not address the REAL issue – lets implement new meters so we can waste more taxpayer money and line the pockets of a “friend” vendor and provide another data collection point to track citizens and then allow the coin money (and personal data) to be electronically stolen by overseas thieves.
Yah – Good plan.
it’s broke #30, get it through your thick skull. Tracking citizens and personal data ? You should probably up your dose. Replace them with smart meters, problem solved and then well finally know just how much we should actually see in annual parking fees, no just some “guessimate” based on the current outdated, and problematic system. Why are you defending the old meters when they’ve caused us AT LEAST $460,000 in slippage, and that’s just the part we know about ?
I hardly think in the plastic and electronic age the world now does business, Ridgewood installing modern parking meters is going to change the international organized crime landscape.
Right now, these museum pieces have no way of recording how many coins are in them when the collector comes. It’s about the easiest system to steal from. Yes, we might be able to have controls whereby 2-3 people people do the collecting, counting, storage, and banking, but the cost of that would far outweigh the cost of installing modern meters.
The Village should start tracking #30’s movements and bank account…. he clearly seems to have some reason to defend the antiquated and broken old parking meter system. Wonder if all of the AC casino bankruptcies and Village of Ridgewood scrutiny following the parking meter theft are correlated ?
looks like a lot of the usual suspects are trying to defend past bad behavior ,makes them look awfully guilty
When I whiz through the EZ Pass lanes, I now have a better understanding of the cash lane guys waiting in a long line of traffic. They are doing their bit to prevent cyber crime.
and the usual suspects are?
Watch how fast parking rates rise when they are:
a) not tied to a physical currency – like a coin
b) are “painless” as a swipe of the credit card.
Easier to track personal habits/usage.
Easier to increase parking fees.
Easy to increase the parking rate by a few pennies every few months – not a big deal – then before you know it you’re paying twice the rate for the same service – I believe this is called the “cablevision model”
looks like a lot of the usual suspects are trying to push through more unnecessary spending of taxpayer money to line their pockets and the pockets of their friends, makes them look awfully guilty
The most effective way to cope with change is to help create it.