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Editor: 

There is a big problem with parking meters in Berkeley. A large number of the new “foolproof” meters the city installed with great fanfare in recent years are now perennially broken. 

I’ve noticed this in particular walking through the Southside / Telegraph Avenue area. On one block, 17 out of 29 meters are broken. On another block, 17 out of 21. On the south side of Bancroft Way, from Telegraph to Shattuck Avenue, a whopping 38 out of 57 meters aren’t functional. 

You can easily identify the broken meters because they flash “FAIL” (or, occasionally, “DEAD”). Working meters either display the amount of time remaining, or flash “0.00” indicating that time has expired. 

I would not be surprised if a comprehensive survey showed that in some neighborhoods such as the Southside fifty percent or more of the meters are persistently non-functional. 

The city is losing considerable amounts of revenue every day. In a busy neighborhood where every street parking space is used during the business day, every 100 meters produce some $75 per hour in revenue. If 100 meters are broken, the city is losing up to $675 per day, or more than $4,000 per week. 

Many meters have been broken, or re-broken, since mid-2000. I remember seeing dozens of broken meters along Bancroft Avenue last August and September, and they’re still broken. I know of people who parked at those broken meters all day for weeks and months, without ever receiving tickets. 

I haven’t seen or heard of any comprehensive city response. The city has almost literally been putting a bandaid on the problem by affixing stickers to the broken meters. The stickers admonish people that parking time limits are still enforced, whether or not the meter is broken. This is akin to reminding criminals in crime-ridden neighborhoods that laws are still enforced. One appreciates the helpful information, but would rather have more police around and more active law enforcement. 

Last year, readers may remember that the city declared victory over the previous meter problem (an epidemic of vandalized and stolen meters) with its purchase of new meters. If this is victory, I’d like to know what city officials think defeat would be like. In some respects the situation is worse than before because we’ve spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on new equipment that apparently does not function well. 

We’re all owed some answers to some basic questions. 

Why are so many meters out of service? How long does it take to repair them (and why), and how many have actually been repaired? How much was actually spent on “solving” the problem last year? How much revenue is being lost because of broken meters on a daily and annual basis? 

Why are so many of the new meters broken? Was there a flaw in their design? If so, does the City have any recourse with the manufacturer? Finally, how have the City staff who spend their days collecting meter revenue and issue tickets for expired meters been spending their time in neighborhoods where a majority of the meters don’t receive revenue and have permanently “expired”? 

The situation also has import for transportation policy. The city is ceaseless in its advocacy of alternatives to cars. However, by having so many broken meters, the city is also de facto providing a considerable amount of free on-street parking in business districts and around major commute destinations such as the university. 

This has broad repercussions beyond the financial. For example, Telegraph Avenue merchants struggle with a lack of short-term shopper parking. No wonder, when many of the meter spaces in front of their businesses are occupied every day by commuters taking advantage of the free meters. 

Steven Finacom 

Berkeley