We do a lot of clerical
labor to register ourselves with entities that have figured out ways to
intervene in matters that were once direct and straightforward. For example,
you have to download the Parkmobile app and set up an account before you can
park your car in Santa Cruz, if you are anywhere near the boardwalk. Maybe you
are ready to unwind on the beach after a hard day, or maybe you have a carload
of kids with low blood sugar, two of whom desperately need to find a bathroom.
But you are going to have to find a cell signal, register your credit card and
make a password before you can go on your way. Of course, since the app freezes
during the final step, you’re not sure you really did pay for parking, or if
instead you will be paying an $85 parking ticket at some point in the future.
It’s super relaxing. Ask me how I know.
If you don’t have a smart
phone, you are out of luck. You may be paying taxes to maintain the street but
you can’t park on it, since you are not quite a full citizen.
-Matthew B. Crawford, from this episode
Posts
Nashville parking was the same. I lived there for two years and only went near the “Lower Broadway” area twice. Minimal charge for parking anywhere, for any period of time, was $30/and was paid by smart phone app via a QR code. Sadly, the homeless and marginalized hung out by the QR code kiosks, having a captive audience v
ReplyDeleteParking Apps are the bane of my life; I have also had to argue a number of legal cases where the legal and factual matric make it almost impossible to work out what legally is going on. Long gone are the days of free parking at the beach or around Town. If that's progress for you, then I think we're living in a very dystopian world. Take care, Julian
ReplyDelete