Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

postmediadriving.wordpress.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

341–350 of 375 posts

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

#341

Post by Talanes »

samatman wrote: post #95
cortesoft wrote: post #78

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?

> Does the school also pay for public transportation for people who don't drive? Frequently enough, yes, it does. The University of Michigan runs free shuttles from central campus to north campus. They don't check student IDs either, anyone can ride them.

There are schools that include passes for local transit in their tuition as well. CU Denver did it when I attended about a decade back, and San Francisco State started doing it recently as well.

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

#342

Post by pitay »

bredren wrote: 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…

Yeah there is a saying that goes something like:

"If you think some organizations are bad, wait until you see some of the customers."

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

#343

Post by [deleted] »

brewdad wrote: post #333
angry_octet wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Says the person who has always had enough money and has strong opinions about poverty.

If you can't afford the $4 for parking, you can't afford a car. The rules don't become optional because you can't afford them. Being poor sucks but it doesn't give anyone the right to ignore the law.

[deleted]

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

#344

Post by goatinaboat »

jlarocco wrote: post #203

Am I the only one who thinks this is wrong? An alternative headline could be something like, "Entitled College Kids Learn How To Keep Parking Like Assholes Without Paying Fines." And it's a pyrhic victory anyway, because chances are now the cars will get one of the metal tire boots put on, or get towed. Both of which are more expensive and a bigger hassle for everybody.

Entitled College Kids Learn How To Keep Parking Like Assholes Without Paying Fines."

In the UK parking at NHS hospitals is a lucrative revenue stream for parking companies - they toss the NHS a few pennies to justify it but it’s exploitation of those in an emotional state, such as visiting a very sick relative, or even picking up someone to take home. Any techniques developed to defeat those parasites is a public good.

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

#345

Post by mike_d »

closeparen wrote: post #292
jlarocco wrote: post #203

Am I the only one who thinks this is wrong? An alternative headline could be something like, "Entitled College Kids Learn How To Keep Parking Like Assholes Without Paying Fines." And it's a pyrhic victory anyway, because chances are now the cars will get one of the metal tire boots put on, or get towed. Both of which are more expensive and a bigger hassle for everybody.

Why are college kids driving in the first place? Are there not enough apartments nearby to rent a room in walking/cycling/shuttle range? Isn't that a pretty foreseeable need when choosing a site for a university? I can understand this problem if you're serving a lot of nontraditional students who already have households, but not with 18-22 year old full time students.

In my home town the local community college was a 45 minute drive from my parents house. I couldn't afford to move in to the city just to go to school. People who move to attend college are the exception not the rule, by the numbers.

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

#346

Post by Y_Y »

angry_octet wrote: post #324
bredren wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quite an accusation, but I'll bite. The alternative to this solution is literally a clipboard and excel that doesn't really work. Allowing parking patrollers to capture photos and coordinates allows secretaries to avoid sometimes violent confrontations and I'm happy about that. As for oppressing poor people, the great majority of people who I've seen get towed thanks to record keeping by EasyALPR are parking at comme…

Several points: - On the parking side, rich people can pay for parking. Some rich people don't and will get fines, which they can pay. Some poor people will risk getting a ticket so they can not spend that $4. (Someone will respond "just leave earlier and park further away" so let me premptively remind them thar poor people are often, e.g. single parents, working multiple jobs, etc, and don't have the luxury of leavi…

> Instead of the university administration focusing on priority areas, such as where parking would block exits, it becomes a profit source and they lose sight of what parking is for -- access by staff and students.

This is a strong point, and has lots of modern parallels (e.g. "civil forfeiture", gatsos), especially to do with cars. The only thing I'd say is that it's a bit of a stretch to ask the tech to prevent the university from going down this path, whether you blame it on greed or perverse incentives or whatever. I think ideally the parking enforcement system would be fair, simple, and without auxiliary functions like data collection for other purposes. What the administration (mis-)uses it for at that point is on them.

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

#347

Post by ryandrake »

javiramos wrote: post #224
quaquaqua1 wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is not paying for the parking I use. That is an easy problem to solve, as long as the price is "reasonable". The problem I have with parking authorities is fraud. When the meter employee gives me a ticket for a different meter, or when the parking ticket fine is $200 instead of say $30, or when the restrictions are absurd/vague ("You can park here for 2 hours m-f except holidays except 9-11 except in gree…

The other day I went to a concert and parked my car at a parking lot. When the concert ended, of course there were masses of people trying to exit the parking lot. There were only 2 cashiers to pay the parking ticket — no automated machines. So we waited over an hour to pay our ticket. Time that we ended up paying with our ticket (per hour parking). The cashier didn’t want to refund us for the waiting time. If the la…

Awesome. If more people stuck to their guns like this, the whole system would fall apart, and this racket wouldn't work. It does work though, because most people are pushovers and seek to avoid confrontation. If more people would stand their ground against obvious fraud, the world would be a better place!

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

#348

Post by chrismcb »

xyst wrote: post #70
WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #18

Learning to solve IRL problems - that absolutely need solving - is why we send them to college. I couldn't be more proud.

meh - one can argue with the advent of the internet the entire college system is a farce. College at this point is just for building your network and securing that “dream job” because employers like to check off those boxes instead of actually finding qualified applicants. Although there is one thing that you can’t teach or learn which is having common sense or the ability to apply theories in practice.

Well you pointed out one reason a in person school is better than the internet. I think having a face to face teacher is a big help, plus students you can easily interact with helps as well. And shoot isn't that the whole point of college, to have a discourse? I think to many people attend college, and it is to expensive. But I don't think the internet has obviated the classroom.

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

#349

Post by megablast »

angry_octet wrote: post #328
bredren wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is higher level than this question, but I actually think the entire individual ownership of vehicles and having them the only viable method for getting to work for many as fundamentally broken. So while I operate this tool that enforces a thing, I don't own a car myself and I honestly can't wait for some autonomous fleet-based future where parking lots are torn up and streets are wider and safer for bicycles and…

Car pooling is a big win. Universities should encourage it. Primary obstacle is probably perceptions of safety.

You know how you encourage it? High price on parking, and punishing abusers.

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

#350

Post by em-bee »

Talanes wrote: post #339
hanniabu wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree that's a hassle, I don't think this should result in a refund. It's like ordering dinner, eating it, and then wanting a refund for the meal because you waited a long time for the meal.

It's more like eating dinner, finishing, and then no one being willing to take your money for an hour after you're ready to leave. A scenario that I've been in, and considered walking out, but the restaurant was too close to my house and I wanted to avoid any unpleasantness in the neighborhood.

i like it when i am asked to pay up front. on one side it feels pushy, like "you don't trust me, or what?", on the other it feels like a relief. it means i can relax, take my time as i want, as i don't need to account for additional check out time. also no more attempts to upsell me on more drinks, etc...
Post reply on HN