More government waste. I just heard on the radio that the city is considering replacing parking meters with new meters that would allow smart phone apps to pay for parking spaces.
The cost of these meters was $8,000 to $10,000. If you take the conservative estimate of $8,000 and assume the meters will be occupied four hours a day, five days a week, it would take close to four years before they begin bringing in revenue.
That’s just covering the cost of supplying them. It does not include the installation cost, maintenance cost and any operational cost for software.
How can a cost analysis show that this is a beneficial investment. The ROI (return on investment) is at best four years. Not a very impressive number.
Another point would be what do you do if you don’t have a smart phone. Also how well will these meters work at -40 C? What is the life expectancy of the battery in the meter? All these factors only increase the ROI.
I see this as another make-work project for another city department trying to justify their existence. Really, this is a priority in our city?
It’s fairly easy to see why our city taxes are as high as they are and why we can’t maintain our crumbling infrastructure.
I hope that I’m not the only concerned citizen who is fed up with our municipal government. I’m more concerned with repairing our existing infrastructure and looking at what we are doing to protect our local waterways.
If we don’t protect our potable water and reduce our waste, those parking meters are not going to help keep you healthy.
Ray Carr
Sudbury