You know, the movie reviewer and Chicago Sun Times Columnist. He’s the one that’s holding down the fort for the ailing Roger Ebert on the "Ebert and Roper at the movies. He has written a column about all the things he hates about the holidays, and pretty obviously, Christianity. Read his column here and if you aren’t offended, not aren’t breathing.
The focus of the article is a screed against Parking and Pay on Foot in particular. Here we go:
Some of my least favorite things aren’t really things — they’re
trends. Like Pay-on-Foot Parking. It sucks! Don’t you love it when the
robotic voice says, "Please insert card with the stripe up and facing
to the right," and, "Cannot read credit card, please try again," and
"Your card is being validated," and, "Can’t you figure out how to work
this machine, loser?"Just remember, there are no cashiers. They’re all at home and out of work, cursing the invention of Pay-On-Foot Parking.
And how about those parking machines that require you to buy a
little print-out ticket and place it on your dashboard? It’s the city’s
way of taking away that cool little triumphant surge you feel when
you’re lucky enough to find a parking space with some "free" time left
on the meter. Now they can milk every single one of us for every single
moment!Not a fan.
I have to admit that I rather agree that most of the verbal instructions are unnecessary. You will note that ATMs don’t have such instructions but beyond that, he is just ranting and obviously doesn’t have all the facts.
Cashiers are mostly working in other jobs in the parking industry. If they aren’t, they have moved from one low paying job to another. I doubt seriously that any cashier supplanted by a POF is sitting home crying.
I wonder if Mr. Roper likes it when he has to sit for 10 minutes to get out of the garage because the combination of the cashier and the driver are dealing with collecting money, or credit cards, or arguing over tickets. With POF all that goes away and he sails out of the garage. I’m sure he’s never cursed the parking attendant for the cost of parking, or been upset over the fact that he had to park on the roof. These types simply want it both ways.
He, probably never having had to collect money or make a payroll in his life, doesn’t understand the problems with a cash oriented business, security, and of course installing POF also keeps down costs which keep down the prices of parking, even in the Loop in Chicago.
He is happy to steal money from the city by using some elses parking fee. He obviously believes that parking should be free and that it should be up to the city to provide him a space for his car, which I guarantee isn’t a Honda Civic. The taxpayers should provide for him. All the people in Chicago that don’t have cars (and ride the Metra) should pay for his privilege to park. And if someone got out of a meeting early, they should pay for his parking.
Mr. Roper may not be a "fan" but he will certainly appreciate it when he has a place to park and use his credit card on street because the City of Chicago had the foresight to install parking equipment that would take a card and charge fees that will make parking available to him. Also, as he sips his Chardonnay on a sidewalk cafe in the Windy City, he will notice that there is plenty of room since the meters and posts have been removed.
J
