BLANK DEAD FAIL (IF YOU CAN READ IT)

 

Does this f'n thing even
work?

This past Saturday afternoon, I did my best to count the number of inoperable parking meters in the City Hall Municipal Parking Lot, where there are exactly 100 meters. 21 of the meters were kaput -- the screen either being blank or flashing DEAD or FAIL. 2 of the 79 working meters (and their parking spaces) have been inaccessible for close to a year.

More than 1 out of 5 meters in the lot behind Hudson City Hall were not working properly, not accepting revenues, and creating free parking 7 days a week (rather than 2).  Many of the plastic shields on the meters are so full of scratches and opaqueness from age, as well as moisture on the inside, that attempting to read the digital screen was difficult, if not nearly impossible, for me (and likely impossible for many).  There is just one new meter in the lot, probably installed sometime in the past few years.

I see numbers!  I think this
one might actually work!

The other 99 look embarrassingly ancient and pathetic.  They look as though they shouldn't work.  They look like they should have been replaced decades ago.  The meters give the appearance of a city that is either bankrupt or can't get its act together, or both. 

Contractor's equipment occupying two
metered spaces for close to a year

But it could be worse, and it has been.  One day a few years ago, I found a failure rate of close to 40% for the meters in the same lot.  

I am almost certain that this year's budget included no funds for new meters or for parts for the ancient meters.