A plea to both the kind-hearted and disgruntled
Having witnessed someone giving away a parking ticket today, I just have to get this off my chest...
If you are a kind soul who gives away your parking ticket to a new arrival in the car park, or even a grump who thinks parking is far too bloody expensive and offers your ticket over again and again and again in revenge for hiked-up prices, please have a rethink and have another look at the economics.
As with any other income generating organisations, councils will assess the forecast income from parking provision in relation to the supply of places and the numbers used. Ticket machines will provide such information, tracking the comings and goings and the fulfillment of the places.
If you give away your ticket, saving someone else a pound or two, that is money that has not gone into the machine and the actual demand is skewed. Surely the consequence is less income that the council expects...and therefore an increase in parking prices, which means you're actually paying the cost for giving away your ticket.
Hence the sign...Pay and Display...
Thank you for listening to my big moot!
5 Comments:
Sound 21stC advice. I wonder what David thinks as he is a bit of a car park buff.
I must admit, I do it [hand over the ticket if there was any time left] without thinking. It's just one of those things that seems like a nice thing to do ... I see your point though, and shall certainly think twice.
Hmmm. I guess I see your point. However, as I am right-tight I tend not to offer my ticket to those who clearly can afford it.
It's my personal contribution to the revolution...
In paying toilets, is it OK to keep open your lav door for the next person (when the attendant isn't looking) or do you have to close it and make them pay 20p?
;-)
Paul - I'd love to know what David thinks, especially as I almost keeled over with shock when I saw the revised pricing structure at the old Roys car park (sorry everyone, I can't remember the real name of it). So many time slots and so many prices to remember. It reminded me of one of my degree projects when I was analysing car park provision & prices in Nottingham a couple of decades ago. So I'd be able to bore David for hours with my car park musings.
Austen - Like you I am really a kind old soul and used to give my tickets away until one day when I was leaving a car park of Nottingham Trent University. I saw an old guy having difficulties with the ticket machine. Thought "aw bless" and approached him, offering him my ticket. Suddenly, he gave me a huge dressing down, making me quiver in my shoes as he said..."it's because of people like you that we have to keep putting the prices up...count yourself lucky that I don't report you...". It turned out that he was the ticket inspector...hence my "once bitten twice" shy syndrome...Blimey that was about 16 years ago!
Headless - thanks for passing by...as you can see I'd be useless in a revolution.
And Ruby...I'd ask for the 20p and give it to the attendant on the way out...as you can see, my honesty has no bounds... ;-D
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