Sick and tired of parking meters (santiago) :(

[BushBaby]

I am becomming more & more intrigued by this thread. There is a lot of talk about "They" & "Them" putting these meters in & then making tickets out when time on meters is expired, but NO-ONE has told us who 'THEY' or 'THEM' are. Were the people who sanctioned the meters the elected representatives of the inhabitants of Santiago?

If SO, ........... then the way forward must be to challenge the decision of those representatives by the people of Santiago - through a COURT if necessary! Winging on a noticeboard like DR1 (no matter HOW influential) will not get the matter resolved. I am SURE the local press would be pleased to make a weekly news item about how unfair it is to penalise particular areas just to keep traffic moving through the downtown Santiago metropolis!! Someone must take POSITIVE & PROACTIVE action rather than reactive actions!

Which Department is responsible for the monitoring of the meters & the issuing of tickets if/when the laws pertaining to the meters are broken? AMET or some newly appointed policing authority? Is the newly constituted body legally authorised to impose these fines? Are AMET legally allowed to impose fines? And if so, by WHOM?

I only ask so that I might prepare myself (& my Puertoplatanean colleagues) to fight the battle in advance should there be discussion to bring Parking Meters to this town. Must be my 'Boy Scout' training of "Be Prepared" coupled with the 'Damage Control' culture I have picked up since living here that is coming to the fore! ~ Grahame.

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by BushBaby

. Were the people who sanctioned the meters the elected representatives of the inhabitants of Santiago?

And who got the hefty commissions from the private company which installed them?

[cobraboy]

IMO, the meters are fine. Since they were installed, I can actually find open parking spaces downtown when I have to go there to conduct some business. Before that finding a space was really hard, and I would try to avoid going there.

The expense is minimal for the convenience of available parking.

Monetary policy is also used for social engineering...

[A.Hidalgo]

I am also interested in knowing were these funds go to, but living in New York I have been so conditioned that parking meters are second nature to me, and yes you now are able to find parking spaces in downtown Santiago, something that was difficult to do two or three years ago.

[AZB]

Originally Posted by BushBaby

I only ask so that I might prepare myself (& my Puertoplatanean colleagues) to fight the battle in advance should there be discussion to bring Parking Meters to this town. Must be my 'Boy Scout' training of "Be Prepared" coupled with the 'Damage Control' culture I have picked up since living here that is coming to the fore! ~ Grahame.

Puerto people should learn a lesson from us. Just break the damn things before they are actually put into work. Break the first 20 meters and your ayuntamento will get the message.
lambada asked the right question: who got the huge commission in this project? Its all business and santiago ayuntamento is making big bucks. No wonder they are spreading all these meters all over santiago. I have a feeling, these meters will be destroyed soon.
AZB

[AK74]

Originally Posted by AZB

Puerto people should learn a lesson from us. Just break the damn things before they are actually put into work. Break the first 20 meters and your ayuntamento will get the message.
lambada asked the right question: who got the huge commission in this project? Its all business and santiago ayuntamento is making big bucks. No wonder they are spreading all these meters all over santiago. I have a feeling, these meters will be destroyed soon.
AZB

Hopefully so, otherwise DR very soon will become another NY and we`ll have to move further to Thailand.

[AZB]

Originally Posted by Ezequiel

Not everyone have a vehicle, if you can afford to have car you can afford to pay the Meters.

This is just such a stupid argument. So if I can afford to have car, so I should be punished for having a car? I can afford to take many vacations in a year so maybe the government should double by exit tax, 40 dollars as compared to 20? should we be required to pay an entrance fee for shopping at supermercado nacional because we can afford to shop there as compared to colmados?
Your arguments are simply stupid so stop trying to look smart.
AZB

[Jumbo]

A bit more info on the meter parking rules please.

Are they in affect 24/7, or just business hours M-F. What is maximum parking time before a re-up and how much for the maximum time.

I ask because i was told there are now meters outside the Colonial Hotel and i often park over night there. Especially on weekends. Thanks...........

[Ezequiel]

Originally Posted by AZB

Puerto people should learn a lesson from us. Just break the damn things before they are actually put into work. Break the first 20 meters and your ayuntamento will get the message.
lambada asked the right question: who got the huge commission in this project? Its all business and santiago ayuntamento is making big bucks. No wonder they are spreading all these meters all over santiago. I have a feeling, these meters will be destroyed soon.
AZB

Of course, and when people start breaking the meters, you will start calling them animals and uncivilize? right?

I support meters in the Downtown area, i need to congratulate the City Hall for that initiative

[Ezequiel]

Originally Posted by AZB

This is just such a stupid argument. So if I can afford to have car, so I should be punished for having a car? I can afford to take many vacations in a year so maybe the government should double by exit tax, 40 dollars as compared to 20? should we be required to pay an entrance fee for shopping at supermercado nacional because we can afford to shop there as compared to colmados?
Your arguments are simply stupid so stop trying to look smart.
AZB

Not a bad idea, the government can use the extra $20.00 Dollars to improve the tourist area .