The Parking Tribute; Renting Public Spaces
I’m sitting at a coffee shop facing a street with meters along the sidewalks. One must pay to park for a specified time ( 9am
to 9pm ).
A meter maid pulls over and begins to quickly type out a ticket on their hand-held ticket device. I ask out-loud if someone’s vehicle is about to receive a mandatory donation request. A lady near me frantically jumps to her feet and rushes out the door, seemingly begging the person with ticketing authority not do so. I can’t hear anything, but I see the city employee walk to their vehicle and leave. The lady fills the meter with coins and comes back inside.
Every single action or intention can be justified, being argued both for and against with debatable facts and sound reasoning. But where can ‘right’ be found? Where and when is something considered ‘wrong’ when looking the things that men make, promote and demand others to follow?
Is it right for someone that fails to deposit a mandatory $0.25 at a certain time to receive a fine of $55.00?
Was it $55.00 worth of damages when a vehicle owner fails to pay $0.25 for the privilege to stimulate the economy ( go shopping or conduct some sort of business transaction )?
Who benefits from such an excessive fine when the initial cost to rent the space on the public street is so small?
If it is in fact a public street, why does the parking space come at a cost?
Will public parks soon also come at a cost to enjoy and occupy?
If public spaces are actually ‘public’ ( the understanding that public spaces are free and built to be enjoyed by the general public ), why are parking spaces treated as if it is private property and for-profit?
A meter maid pulls over and begins to quickly type out a ticket on their hand-held ticket device. I ask out-loud if someone’s vehicle is about to receive a mandatory donation request. A lady near me frantically jumps to her feet and rushes out the door, seemingly begging the person with ticketing authority not do so. I can’t hear anything, but I see the city employee walk to their vehicle and leave. The lady fills the meter with coins and comes back inside.
Every single action or intention can be justified, being argued both for and against with debatable facts and sound reasoning. But where can ‘right’ be found? Where and when is something considered ‘wrong’ when looking the things that men make, promote and demand others to follow?
Is it right for someone that fails to deposit a mandatory $0.25 at a certain time to receive a fine of $55.00?
Was it $55.00 worth of damages when a vehicle owner fails to pay $0.25 for the privilege to stimulate the economy ( go shopping or conduct some sort of business transaction )?
Who benefits from such an excessive fine when the initial cost to rent the space on the public street is so small?
If it is in fact a public street, why does the parking space come at a cost?
Will public parks soon also come at a cost to enjoy and occupy?
If public spaces are actually ‘public’ ( the understanding that public spaces are free and built to be enjoyed by the general public ), why are parking spaces treated as if it is private property and for-profit?
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