Pay and Display Car Parks – Another Immoral Way of Criminalising Motorists

Why do we still have these relics form the 20th Century? We have the technology now to make everything much fairer and to make sure the councils do get their money. Have you noticed, anyway, how many Pay and Display car parks are very tatty, with great big holes in them which do nothing for your suspension?
I was in Blackpool recently with my cousin. Neither of us had much change, and so we managed not to park on two half empty car parks. Blackpool off-season, on a cold day. Who’d want to stop there except mad fools like us, anyway?
You always worry about those traffic wardens (personally I really do worry about them. Just think: if nobody volunteered to do the job, we’d never get another parking ticket. What sort of person really wants to do that job? (Just humour the grumpy old woman – next thing she’ll be saying if nobody volunteered to be a soldier there’d be no more wars.)) coming and ruining your windscreen by sticking on a parking ticket three minutes after your time’s run out. You usually put another hour on just in case.
And why have those machines anyway, full of cash? Isn’t that asking for trouble? Why do we still have cash? If we have to pay cash, why can’t there be a change machine nearby? The Grumpy Old Woman thinks she smells a plot. If you supplied a cash machine, you may not be able to fine as many people.
It would be interesting to know how much money they make form parking fines and what actually happens to it. I’m sure it doesn’t go towards keeping the car parks in good repair. Some must go towards the traffic warden’s salary and uniform. But does it actually go towards undoing the harm I’ve done by parking my car there? Will it go towards undoing the damage that owning a car for over twenty years has done to the environment? Or will it just help to meet some target? I hope it helps to keep the Council Tax down for the good people in Blackpool.
In the end, though, I didn’t park in the Pay and Display in Blackpool. We found a side street. I have had a fine in Southampton because I misread a confusing notice. I argued my out of one in Salisbury because I’d tried to pay, in good faith, and thought I had. They are Pay and Display, but at least there’s a way of paying electronically if you don’t have the cash. Its complex, it doesn’t actually work, but at least they try.
But, come on council folks, you could do better than this.
Interesting though: I wonder what would happen if you just left an honesty box there, and asked people to give what they thought it was worth? On Malta they have uniformed car park attendants – and you can park all day for a minimum of 50p. You are invited to give what you think it’s worth to park there. One even washed all the windscreens after a sandy rain shower.