Waze for parking – don't pay the meter
parkremark.com
parkremark.com
I am guessing it's one of those fake websites to judge interest.
(In related news, I am looking forward for this to be used - by other people of course. Imagine: I arrive to downtown, fully intending to pay, but all spots are taken by illegally parked people. No worries - head to parkremark, report a (fake) police sighting, and watch some spots mysteriously free up. Sweet! And the best part there is no ethical downsides, those people were jerks to begin with.)
I need ~100 people per city to actually make this useful so I’m doing a waitlist + staggered start.
On a side note, it’s fun that your first instinct is chaotic and selfish.
(There are certainly plenty of bad laws in US that should not be enforced strictly, the highway speed limits for example. But the metered parking is not such a law. Having enforced metered parking means that visitors can find a place to park, and businesses have more business. There were plenty of times in my life when I thought, "There are no free parking spaces here! Wish they put some meters!")
I actually see speeding as a close corollary to this parking app. People speed. Can’t stop it. But when you see a speed trap marked on your map, you’re going to slow down. In a way it actually increases the effectiveness of the enforcement.
Knowing that parking enforcement is nearby, to your own admission, will encourage drivers to either pay up, or pack up.
The point of the site isn’t to break unenforceable laws. It’s to balance market forces. Parking meters used to take $.05 denominations. Now you need to download an app and pay several dollars plus transaction fees even if you’re just a door dash guys stopping to pick up someone’s order of biryani.
A thick cut of the revenue from modern parking meters goes to corporate pockets, so it’s not like you’re doing your civic duty by paying the meter. This is especially true in Chicago where meter collection revenue goes 100% offshore; whereas parking ticket revenue goes back to the city.
The sensible thing for a city to do is to allow 1-2hr free parking (by sign), and regularly enforce violations with patrols.
The sensible thing for a driver to do is to look both ways before parking, and alert fellow drivers if they are about to get a ticket.
Let me ask, if a you and a friend were out for lunch and you saw the meter maid coming by would you tell them, or keep it to yourself?
The app is in live beta for a few areas fyi