Cities to face class action over parking meters
A class action suit will go forward because both Montreal and Quebec City run parking meters back to zero when a new customer arrives, rather than letting them coast on unused minutes from a previous user.
Because people got used to finding unused minutes on the old mechanical meters, is it a good reason to continue this freebie with modern meters that operate differently?
Chris 20:08 on 2021-01-27 Permalink
No, it’s not.
Bill Binns 20:27 on 2021-01-27 Permalink
I hate the practice of selling the same thing to two different people (such as with hotel rooms, airplane seats, etc). The city has already been paid for that time, they shouldn’t be able to sell the same time again. The city is certainly not giving any “freebies” with the old system. They only person giving anything away is the driver who paid in advance and left early.
That being said, it’s pretty funny that they found enough people pissed off about not being able to find a few minutes left on the meter to get a class action lawsuit going.
Spi 20:28 on 2021-01-27 Permalink
It’s not simply about unused minutes left by the previous person, anyone that uses the payment terminals instead of the smartphone app to extend their parking time will be paying double for the few minutes they have remaining unless they wait for their time to completely expire before putting any more money.
Kate 20:31 on 2021-01-27 Permalink
Spi, are the terminals smart enough to distinguish between “minutes being bought by the same driver” vs. “minutes being bought by a new driver”?
PO 21:19 on 2021-01-27 Permalink
Interesting case. Back in the day, if you rented a movie and returned it before it’s due, the store could immediately put it on the shelf and start charging the next customer for the rental. I guess the same applies to a rental car, at least for prepaid rentals. Airlines will cancel the second leg of a flight if you miss the first.
If I pay for 1 hour but then drive away after 30 min, I’m guessing I’m not legally entitled that space for another 30min if someone else pulls up. But that would have been true with the old meters too. As far as I’m concerned, if you leave the parking spot, you forfeit your access to it if someone else assumes it. Makes sense you’d forfeit the remaining cost too.
Someone who leaves the spot early also isn’t entitled to a refund for unused time. That’ll probably play a role.
Weird case. Wish this kind of thing would be thrown out.
Tim 21:59 on 2021-01-27 Permalink
This lawsuit seems frivolous to me. Has the plaintiff considered that now that there is an app, there is probably far less minutes remaining because it is easy and cheap to top up minutes? I rarely overpay now as the app beeps me when 10 minutes are remaining.
steph 22:46 on 2021-01-27 Permalink
The only lawsuit case I could imagine is the scenario where: Innocent Mary pays her 8$ for 2 hours of meter, and goes shopping. Malicious Joe comes along and pays for 15mins on the same spot. MrMean green onion writes Mary a ticket because the 15 mins is expired.
Blork 00:28 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
Kate, to answer your question to Spi; no. The system resets when you add time, even if it’s the same person adding time.
Regarding double-paying, if you go into a parking lot in the morning and pay the day rate, and then you leave early, there’s no reason the lot can’t charge someone else to take that place until the end of the day. How is this any different?
Michael Black 01:16 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
Apparently in some places, you pay for a slot of time, and it’s connected to your license plate. So pay for half an hour here, and if it only takes ten minutes, you can park somewhere else to use the time (and top it off if you need more time).
Never having driven a car, I have no idea how that compares.
Ephraim 08:07 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
@Michael Black – Pay by plate, they have it in Westmount. Montreal is supposed to move to pay by plate as well. It will mean that we won’t need those numbered spots anymore.
Kate 10:54 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
You’d think even the primitive hardware and software inside those black boxes would be able to distinguish between users, allowing someone to top up their own time, but not allowing people to coast on someone else’s time. Maybe technology will solve this, as Ephraim suggests.
jeather 11:07 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
The Westmount pay by plate app is absolutely atrocious. The machines are the better option, if you need to pay for parking there.
Joey 11:34 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
@jeather Atrocious? You enter your plate and credit card info once (it’s saved), you enter the zone, you choose the amount of time, you’re done.
As for double payments, meh. The compromise should be that they keep collecting double payments but use that revenue to eliminate the surcharge for paying by app (that still exists, right?). Let people who are worried about overpaying refill their meter in 10-minute increments.
jeather 12:43 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
You can’t do it in small increments, it starts counting down from the time you open the app instead of when you pay, it has way more steps, doesn’t have non-billable time plugged in so you can pay even if parking is free.
Joey 13:55 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
@jeather I’m pretty sure the few times I’ve parked while parking was still free (e.g., before 9 am), I could pay in advance but I can’t say for sure
jeather 15:35 on 2021-01-28 Permalink
My memory is that if parking stopped costing money at 6, at 5:30 you could still pay for an hour. But I, obviously, haven’t used it in ages.
maxim 18:49 on 2021-03-02 Permalink
how do i participateÉ