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Even with an over abundance of parking in our downtown core, city officials still feel compelled to squeeze parking meters on every last square inch of downtown's streets. In most cities, parking at a fire hydrant brings big fines, but in Jacksonville it only costs a quarter (if you've got one).
Will the downtown parking nazi's ticket a fire truck at this hydrant with an expired meter? Probably.
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duster1
February 05, 2008, 08:45:36 AMA few years ago when I worked downtown, my brother and I had finished eating at the long since forgotten Gordo's (RIP) and walked up Laura St. to his car. A meter "man" was eyeing the meter, the car and the approaching marks, us. The meter, upon inspection still had 15 minutes on it.We did not acknowledge the meter "man" prescence but he gave us the evil eye stare as we got in and drove away. At the time I saw him writing the tag number down on my brother's car.
One week later, he received a parking ticket in the mail specifying the time period that we were downtown and the meter number(which was NOT out of time as we drove off). Apparently the meter "man" did not like the way we looked or maybe we didn't "respect his authoritayyy" so this little hitler decided to envoke the only control he had in his life and write us up for whatever reason. Well, the ticket was thrown out after repeatedly retelling this tale to various blundering city employee genetic deadends. Only upon the inspection of this "tool"s reader did the city see that he was being...outside the parameters of the "law". Now I just park at FCCJ and walk. Up yours COJ Parking Gestapo..way to throttle downtown business.
second_pancake
February 05, 2008, 09:31:27 AMWTF??? What if there's a fire and the fire trucks can't get in because of a car parked there? Wait, is this in front of a historical building? That might explain a few things given how the city treats it's history.
thelakelander
February 05, 2008, 09:33:24 AMThis looks like the sidewalk adjacent to the steel framed parking garage between Main and Ocean on Bay.
fsujax
February 05, 2008, 09:36:39 AMNJ to JAX WHAT DID I DO?
February 05, 2008, 09:37:58 AMWow, what an exciting story..........another slow day in the JAX....life is very slooooowwwww here.
walter
February 05, 2008, 09:58:34 AMyeah thats the way its done here in assbackwardville a.k.a JACKSONTUCKY!
downtownparks
February 05, 2008, 10:48:03 AMI wont even go into my $50 cup of coffee at start bucks one day... Needless to say Starbucks hasn't gotten another dime from me since the great vampire that is the Jacksonville meter maids sucked me dry. He didn't appreciated it when I called him a one man business killer either.... oh well.
Ocklawaha
February 05, 2008, 11:01:54 AMStep #1: Go to free parking on the streetside, sell the meters to New York City or someplace else that NEEDS them.
Net Result, downtown retail and streetside business blooms and life returns to the core.
Step #2: Raise the price of garage parking as much as DOUBLE the current rate.
Net Result, corporations boost employee parking compensation or subsidize the parking outright for a equal cut in their city taxes.
Step #3: Drop the price of parking around the core in the JTA, Commuter Rail, Streetcar and Skyway garages, include package deals for park and ride.
Net Result, enhanced downtown mobility, less congestion and easy park and ride access to anything important, the further result is a layered transit network paid by the enhanced rates in the downtown garages...
The only thing the City "gives away" is the tax break to ease the pain...
the trade off
In return the City get's REAL BIG CITY TRANSIT.
Gee, that was easy... Any Comments?
Ocklawaha
thelakelander
February 05, 2008, 11:07:48 AMThere's only one problem. Most cities have meters that except everything from credit cards to nickels and dimes. These things are a blast from the past. The best we can do with them is to keep one as a museum exhibit of what killed Downtown's retail base and take the rest to a scrapyard.
Lunican
February 05, 2008, 11:25:41 AMYeah, there is no other city in the world that would buy those meters from us. Maybe the Smithsonian would want one?
Hippodamus
February 06, 2008, 12:38:26 AMHere is what might happen.
Hippodamus
February 06, 2008, 12:47:56 AMActually, according to the the fine print, Uniform Fire Code states:
1001.7.1 General Posts, fences, vehicles, growth, trash, storage and other materials or things shall not be placed or kept near fire hydrants, fire department inlet connections or fire department control valves in a manner that would prevent such equipment or fire hydrants from being immediately discernible. The fire department shall not be deterred or hindered from gaining access to fire-protection equipment or hydrants.
1001.7.2 Clear space around hydrants. A 3-foot (.9144m) clear space shall be maintained around the circumference of fire hydrants except as otherwise required or approved.
1001.8 Marking of Fire-protection Equipment and Fire Hydrants. Fire-protection equipment and fire hydrants shall be clearly identified in an approved manner to prevent obstruction by parking and other obstructions. See also Section 901.4.3.
The problem isn't whether or not a car is parked there. It is the fact that a van or navigator might be parked there and the big red trucks wouldn't be able to 'easily discreen them' a.k.a see the damn thing.
Lunican
February 06, 2008, 08:35:52 AMYes, and it looks like the meter itself is within a 3 foot radius of the hydrant.
CRAIG B
April 09, 2008, 08:36:45 PMMost cities I have lived in do this in the downtown cores. Why I have no freakin idea. From Canada to the USA to most European cities they have one thing in common. Those dead sections of what used to be a thriving downtown core and all because of the elected geniuses at city hall.
Hmmm.... makes me wonder who's to blame. Me for voting for the sots or them for keeping these things after they get in. Time to dump a few members of city council or vote only for ones that promise to get rid of the meters.