Murphy's Law seems to be in control of the city's efforts to update its parking system. Today, the signage explaining how to pay for onstreet parking began appearing in the blocks of Warren Street below Third, but, alas, the signs, which are attached to lamp posts, are positioned so high that it is impossible to scan the QR code or even to read the numbers and codes needed to make a payment.
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| Photo courtesy Rachel Careau |
Addendum: Rob Perry, superintendent of Public Works, took issue with the statement that it was impossible to scan the QR code because the signs were positioned too high. He offered this advice: "Just hold your phone up and 'zoom.'" He provided these photographs to demonstrate how it's done.
Gossips stands corrected.
Simply unbelievable !
ReplyDeleteOK, we’ll zoom in, but why make the process more difficult than it already is?
ReplyDeleteGiven the reach of the Internet, I wonder if people around the globe are monitoring the follies in Hudson and yukking it up? ~ PJ
ReplyDeleteI, in Greenport, sure am.
DeleteI heard recently about a practice called “squishing” which entails a bad actor putting a QR code sticker over a valid QR code in a real ad or other posting. When the user clicks through the squished code it’s to a malign site. So perhaps placing the signs above “squishing height” is smart (advertant or otherwise).
ReplyDeleteIt was easier to just put in a quarter.
ReplyDeleteOf all the options, why didn’t they just upgrade the meter heads to modern digital smart ones that take coin and card? Globally programmable, and you can still have an app for those that want to pay that way. Up the price, and add meters to the rest of Warren? Sure they cost money, but that’s what the price increase is for. Also would spread out the infrastructure—one meter head is cheaper to replace than a kiosk that gets vandalized or run over.
ReplyDeleteI understand that DPW installed the signs, and that they had to, but that should be the extent of their involvement. If DPW installed the signs for HPD/the parking bureau, why is Rob Perry answering questions about parking matters, including what the signs do or don't do and how they work? What is on the signs is no business of Rob Perry's. Ever. He is in the sign installation business, not the sign interpretation business. Should he be answering questions about how the kiosks work that his department installed? Of course not! Would it make any sense for him to post on Facebook detailing how well the scannable signs work? No. Stick to what you're paid to do, don't confuse matters (this is a big problem at City Hall!). Parking is not in DPW's purview, it never has been and it never will be. It's now in HPD's hands. All questions regarding parking should be directed to and answered by our chief law enforcement officer...When she has time in between crime solving and maternity leaves.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when a shorter person attempts this? How about a person with limited physical mobility? Or any person who does not want to own a smart phone? Where is the fair and equal access to all fit in?
ReplyDeleteYou are a Councilman Henry, what are you going to do to remedy this fiasco?
DeleteMy thoughts exactly, Henry! Thank you.
DeleteHenry -- You are asking the wrong people and in the wrong forum. Please try not to conduct city business on "social" virtual media, it will get us nowhere! We just got rid of a mayor who did far too much of it, and look where that got us!
Delete@Pewtetra @Rachel
DeleteThis whole parking mess is unfortunate.
We have to remember that the Common Council makes the laws. The Mayor and Department Heads are the ones who put them into action.
When elected lawmakers with no real experience try to run operations, things go wrong fast.
Tom DePietro deserves the blame here for years of analysis paralysis and consultants. He eventually selected the wrong technology, signed a bad and expensive contract, and agreed to that "convenience fee."
Former Mayor Kamal Johnson suspended parking enforcement during Covid, the already old machines became obsolete and many broke, and he failed to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid tickets.
Remember back in December when the Times Union pointed out that Kamal was not meeting with Ferris for a proper transition?
If Kamal really cared about, or as he says, "loves" Hudson, he would have collected the unpaid tickets during his term.
He would have met with incoming Mayor Ferris to help get the new team ready for January.
Instead, he went against HPD guidance and gave away December parking income yet again. He sat back knowing this landmine was going to explode in January.
The new Council and Mayor will make mistakes. When they do, we should hold them accountable.
But right now Mayor Ferris, Mayoral Aide Martin, and Chief Franklin are just cleaning up the mess left by Tomal.
Here are 2 numbers that would be shocking if public to all, and not just some:
1: Total dollar value of unpaid parking tickets owed to Hudson since 2020
2: Total number of people who took advantage of Kamal's much advertised Parking Amnesty Program (used as a delay and "equity" tactic when talk of collections started)
If the unpaid parking tickets were collected Hudson would have had the money to install a top of the line parking meter system, integrate it with private or municipal parking on the edges of town, and then benefit from non tax income exceeding seven figures per year.
Portsmouth NH reduces median household property tax burden by ~$500 per year with their parking revenue.*
Their municipal parking lot won national awards for public art and their Head of Parking won the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) award for #1 parking guru in the land.
https://www.portsmouthnh.gov/publicworks/parkportsmouth
Isn't it astonishing that Hudson created the whole Housing Justice sidequest... passed dozens of non-binding resolutions on international issues and pet causes... and failed on the most basic public service; public parking on the main artery of the County and City.
If Municipal Management had a Razzie Awards equivalent (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Raspberry_Awards) Kamal and Tom would sweep all award categories.
P.S. Does Gary Purnhagen have selective amnesia? His FB posts last week were written as if he wasn't a core member of the parking committee himself over the last few years.
Reference: https://www.portsmouthnh.gov/city/press-releases/city-council-adopts-budget-fy25#
Hudson Common Sense, your attack on Gary Purnhagen is uncalled for. It has also caused me to have great doubts about the accuracy your reporting. Gary was never a memeber of the Parking Committee, let alone a "core member".
DeleteThank you @Pewtetra - see updated comment.
DeleteGary is the Chair of the more senior and permanent Public Works Board. See how easy it is to make a correction. Everyone should try it, even on technicalities.
The core issue here, as it relates to the Parking roll-out, is that Gary knew exactly what was coming down Warren Street in terms of parking... and to appeal to the Facebook crowd before giving his City employee colleagues time to respond to communications, is unwise and evidence of posturing.
Second - we do not "report", we write editorials. We leave the reporting and news to Gossips, the Times Union etc.
And we are upfront about our perspective and motive, we do not pretend to be a neutral source of news:
https://www.hudsoncommonsense.com/aboutus
We take issue with Gary on several fronts, chiefly because he votes against 1st Ward interests. And more broadly, because he votes on what he perceives to be popular, instead of principle.
We hope he will do better this term and remember who he represents.
When the facts change we change our opinion.
In response to a comment posted by Hudson Common Sense (aka Hugo) regarding Hudson’s new parking program, he wrote:
ReplyDelete“P.S. Does Gary Purnhagen have selective amnesia? His FB posts last week were written as if he wasn't a core member of the parking committee himself over the last few years.”
To clear up any confusion:
First, I do not have “selective amnesia.” Second—and more importantly—I was never a member of the Common Council’s Parking Committee at any time.
The post being referenced is publicly available and linked here for transparency:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1890622104508563/search/?q=PARKING
Gary -
DeleteYou are right, we stand corrected on a minor point (the Ad Hoc Parking Comm, it was Belton), but that correction makes your conduct here even worse and reflects even more poorly on you.
1. Aren’t you the Chairman of the permanent Public Works Board?
https://hudsonny.gov/board_and_committees/public_works_board.php
Distancing yourself and refusing to take responsibility for the parking fiasco because you were not technically on the Special Ad Hoc Parking Committee is like the executive chef of a restaurant blaming bad desserts entirely on the pastry chef or commis.
2. In your Facebook post and CYA messages to the Council and select Department Heads on parking, did you disclose that you live on Warren Street on a block that previously had no parking costs, but now would?
That seems a relevant disclosure.
If you are at the table, in "the room where it happens," take responsibility.
Give your civil servant colleagues the benefit of the doubt by calling them directly, with ample time to respond, before posturing on Facebook.
We are disappointed to see that you seem intent on keeping the unprofessional Kamal habit alive by maintaining a parallel dialogue in the mostly Greenport Facebook comment sections.
Putting public comments, about public matters, in your capacity as a public official, in a private forum, on private site that requires a login... very Kamal.
While you are digging up your Facebook posts... can you find the one you deleted about first not supporting
Rent Control, and then changing your mind, but while explaining your change of heart you revealed that you did not understand the legislation?
Hudson living up to its reputation for never getting anything right ...
ReplyDelete