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'Robin Hoods' who feed parking meters are hit with lawsuit in New Hampshire
- bifrost 13y agoAFAIK feeding meters has been illegal for a while, but I have yet to hear of anyone being cited for it. This is nuts! Maybe if the meters were more reasonable people wouldn't do stuff like this...
- dylangs1030 13y agoI don't quite understand why feeding parking meters is illegal. Bear with me... In some cases of abuse, like with NYC metro cards, there is a legitimate reason not to use a single metro card for a number of people (the limit is four I believe). The reason is because putting a large enough money on the metro card to accomodate those people automatically gives extra money as an incentive for large purchases. But if you use this other people, you're technically ripping off the system, because those individual $2.50 cards wouldn't have gotten any extra percentage. So in examples like the foregoing, I get why it's illegal to "share" money. But feeding parking meters has no such incentive anywhere, as far as I know. Why would it be illegal?
- plorkyeran 13y agoIt's not. They're being sued for taunting and harassing the parking inspectors, not for feeding the meters.
- dylangs1030 13y agoI know that's the reason in the article, but the parent had said it's illegal, so I figured I'd ask.
- bifrost 13y agoThe "taunting and harassing" is a smokescreen, these guys posted video of several interactions, I wouldn't be surprised if more came out.
- philwelch 13y agoBecause you're depriving the city revenue they would make from writing traffic tickets when the meters expire.
- e3pi 13y ago"...would the city still be complaining? Well, the answer is probably yes, because their intent to enforce the law isn't to prevent law-breaking but to raise money.
- bifrost 13y ago> Why would it be illegal? Because its about revenue. The cities want to give out tickets to prop up their bottom lines. Yes, there is a congestion and anti-car component but do not be fooled, its all about parking tickets.
- noonespecial 13y agoThe city of Keene says its three parking inspectors have been taunted, insulted and followed by the group — to the point that one of them says he has suffered heart palpitations and is thinking about quitting his job. In case its not clear from the headline (its not) they are being sued for harassing the parking inspectors, not simply putting money in meters. If they were just wandering around feeding meters, they would probably have been left alone.
- dylangs1030 13y agoThanks for noting this. I think it's still technically illegal to put money in meters, but you're right. It amounts to a teenage prank. They probably shouldn't have harassed people and tried to be "activists."
- fixxer 13y ago"Linda, guess what you’re not going to do today — write tickets." That isn't harassment. That is hilarious. This just boils down to a municipality relying on parking tickets rather than meter fees for revenue. Fuck them. The solution is simple: raise the fee.
- vonzeppelin 13y agoThey are being sued for harassment but being sued does not automatically mean you are guilty. Why, as suggested in the article by one of the defendants, have they not been criminally prosecuted for harassment if it is cut and dry?
- bobberb 13y agoThere is no proof of harassment so far. Even if it were true that is a case against individuals not an amorphous group.
- VMG 13y agoThe headline is misleading in a way that this is not even a story