Many of the folks who read our face book page are just that, folks. Drivers who have to put up with parking. Here is a comment. I republish it here on the blog in case you aren’t “Facebook Ready”.
Wanda Kroll: I am 69 years young. I ride my bike daily and walk. Also do water aerobics and yoga 3 to 4 times a week. I travel a lot since I am retired. Can easily manage putting my carry on in the over head bin on the airplane. Yet, I always have problems with getting a parking slip from one of those parking machines when I pull up to a parking lot. Since… See More the population of this country is getting older and living longer, why can’t the manufacturers come up with machines that are easier to access? So a person doesn’t have to open her door and get out of the car to get such a ticket? Perhaps they can have extended slots or something? Your site makes me feel that my voice can actually be heard. That I don’t have to nag but find a solution and hopefully help making parking easier for folks like me. Thank You!
When I was selling revenue control equipment most of the dispensers were shaped like an upside down “L”. The top part sort of hung over the curb so people could reach the ticket when it was issued. Over the years designers played with it and the overhang got shorter and shorter. Only one manufacturer that I know of, Secom, actually kept their original design. Ted Burton tells me that their equipment gets banged up a lot when mirrors and other parts of vehicles hit the dispenser. However you can reach the ticket.
Most dispensers are “flat”. They are right at the curb or behind it and if someone is driving a larger vehicle (can you say 1977 Caddy or 2009 Escalade) it’s very difficult to hit the button or reach the ticket. So what’s the solution for Wanda?
I have some ideas – one is to go back to the “upside down “L”” design but locate a post next to the TD to protect it; locate the dispensers on an island with a slight bulge so its closer to the car, and install the protection post to keep it safe, or, you’re gonna love this, convert to six inch tickets so that more of the ticket is hanging out when its dispensed.
Some of the dispensers I saw at the show in Vegas were a wonder of the designer’s skill. They were absolutely beautiful – but most had this minor issue – many people can’t reach the ticket when it’s dispensed.
JVH
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another idea is to push harder for ticketless parking solutions – using AVI, license plates, contactless credit cards, etc. we can reduce and eliminate the need to “pull” a ticket.