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Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

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131–140 of 375 posts

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#131

> Obviously, some students thought that fee was ridiculous – just like paying for parking at a university where you’re already paying a hefty tuition fee I hate parking fees as much as the next person, and totally appreciate the creativity of the people who defeated this device. However, how should we handle distributing a limited number of parking spaces when there are more people who want to park than available spa…

My old uni sold the rights to operate their garages for the next 50 years to campus park to build a couple dorms. Prices basically doubled across all tiers when the garages were privatized

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#133
post #77

What the article doesn't state is what advantage the Barnacle offers over a more traditional boot design. OK, there's the online payment thing, but that could be equally implemented with a boot. So why the convoluted design? Is it because you can drive around a bit (dangerously) while the barnacle is on?

A couple of things, it’s quicker and requires less knowledge to apply, less damage to vehicles, and you don’t need a parking officer to come out to remove it; they just dial it in and it pops off, and the barnacled person drops it in a drop box. This removes the need for 24/7 parking officer shifts to need to come out and remove the device.

This thing is also probably sold to organizations that don’t want to deal with the logistics of supporting boots, but are still interested in holding cars for ransom. So a traditional boot design may have always been a nonstarter for them, but this device isn’t.

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#134
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mass transportation options coupled with high density buildings should be the way to go. Parking just doesn’t scale. The uni I went to had a decent bus system that had routes along the major apt complexes (private and uni owner). Buses were usually on time, and likely faster than trying to find a parking spot.

We don't need to mold the whole world into the tightly packed metropolis model. Those areas are fine for people who like that kind of living but a lot of others including me don't. Make the parking lots more efficiently packed, expand a bit of parking into grassy areas, build a parking garage instead of spending more on sports, there are lots of solutions here.

Increasing density is precisely what we must do, because the alternative, car-centric kind of living is this close to giving us an expiration date that’s perceptibly on the horizon.

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#135
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why should the campus subsidize the car-owning students? If those students want exclusive use of a public space why not let them pay market rates for it?

The students are paying for a service from the University. It's very reasonable that the University provide parking space for those who can't afford to live on campus. Actually, it's in their best interest, unless they want to be an online school. And thus similarly in the best interest of all students, if they want a locally accessible University to exist.

The students are paying for an education. If they prefer to drive, their fellow students who make other choices should not be expected to subsidize them.

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#136

> Obviously, some students thought that fee was ridiculous – just like paying for parking at a university where you’re already paying a hefty tuition fee I hate parking fees as much as the next person, and totally appreciate the creativity of the people who defeated this device. However, how should we handle distributing a limited number of parking spaces when there are more people who want to park than available spa…

Parking fees at my university are only in small part due to rationing. You can see this because they recently added fees for the weekend, when they is no need to ration parking spots. For some reason, some university parking authorities are setup not serve the students and staff, but to make money/be cost neutral. That makes no sense to me.

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#137
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mass transportation options coupled with high density buildings should be the way to go. Parking just doesn’t scale. The uni I went to had a decent bus system that had routes along the major apt complexes (private and uni owner). Buses were usually on time, and likely faster than trying to find a parking spot.

We don't need to mold the whole world into the tightly packed metropolis model. Those areas are fine for people who like that kind of living but a lot of others including me don't. Make the parking lots more efficiently packed, expand a bit of parking into grassy areas, build a parking garage instead of spending more on sports, there are lots of solutions here.

Nah, the world does far more than enough unreasonable subsidizing of driving as it is.

By all means, have some space for parking. And then charge market rate for it at peak hours, with free transit/shuttle passes for students.

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#138
post #98

My SUS company, EasyALPR focuses on commercial parking enforcement / vehicle control. First, the people who get "in trouble" are often absolutely brazen in their unfair use of common parking. They're warned multiple times and even when given a "last chance" notice they'll just keep breaking rules. At that point you have to TOW them. And let me tell you, a TOW is something you can't lampoon or get free internet off of…

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How would they go about doing what you suggest, and separating the good of confronting scofflaws from the bad effects of oppressing poor people?

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You could probably also set up a system to text people who have been there more than X hours that they will start to be charged due to high capacity. Your plan is to have pricing that is not knowable in advance, and assess it against the students retroactively? I'm not sure it's possible to come up with a worse plan.

I mean, the plan could be to destroy random cars if the parking lot is full, to make space for more. That might be slightly worse than this person's plan.

Hey, if it's good enough for Linux memory management, it's good enough for parking.

Re: Students defeat new 'Barnacle' parking clamp, skip fines and get free internet

#140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is just spreading the cost of parking to people who don't use it... instead of only people who drive their own cars paying for the parking, now everyone has to. Does the school also pay for public transportation for people who don't drive? Or the extra housing costs of the people who pay extra to live close enough to walk?

This new engineering building is just spreading the cost of classrooms to people who don’t use it. This new fitness building is just spreading the cost of athletics to people who don’t use it. The new wheelchair ramps are just spreading the cost of being handicapped to people who don’t use it. You could apply that logic to all of a college (or life, if you count taxes and insurance) experience. Not everybody is going…

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