THE RIVER OAKS SHOPPING CENTER’S NEW PARKING METERS 
Hooded, solar-powered parking overseers have arrived on streets surrounding the River Oaks Shopping Center on West Gray St., reader James Glassman notes. Here’s a photo of a meter dressed in a blue cape, awaiting orders to undress on Peden St. at McDuffie. [Previously on Swamplot]Â Photo: James Glassman
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Solar panel underneath a tree. Brilliant!
Obstructing the sidewalk, well done.
Did they put that in the middle of a sidewalk? There are so few to begin with.
More (smart) parking meters, lower on-site parking minimums, please.
Lovely. More “fees” Annise Parker and her minions are grabbing from our pockets. And who the hell decided to put a solar powered meter UNDER a tree? Why the NON-thinking morons at the COH. No wonder this town is so half-assed. Thank Goodness I walk to the ROSC. I refuse to aprk in the lots( the drivers are a-holes) and parking on the streets is a joke.
Yet another proof that pedestrians are 3rd class citizens. And rightly so.
How would Cool Hand Luke handle this?
@commonsense, if pedestrians are 3rd class citizens, does that make cyclists 2nd class?
Of greater concern to me is the parking spaces that are being placed actually on the length of Peden. The street is not wide enough to safely accommodate this new parking lane with the two lanes of traffic. It’s a street with a pretty high level of cycle and and neighborhood pedestrian traffic and an absolute disaster in the making.
Patrick,
Actually they stole the money from our pockets when they built the streets wide enough to support on street parking.
Does putting this in the sidewalk violate any sort of ADA requirements for access for wheelchairs? Maybe someone should contact the Feds…
London: ‘mind the gap’ :: Houston: ‘mind the sidewalk’
@coconutbutter, no, cyclists are even lower down the totem pole, they’re pedalfiles, thy’re like 19th class citizen. There’s another article earlier today that shows that despite their militant rhetoric, cycling rates are falling, people are realizing that they have no place in civilized society.
The kid: do you really want the federal government stepping in as to how a city does their sidewalks / parking meters?
@The kid; regarding accessible routes…
Clear Width. Except as provided in 403.5.2 and 403.5.3, the clear width of walking surfaces
shall be 36 inches (915 mm) minimum.
EXCEPTION: The clear width shall be permitted to be reduced to 32 inches (815 mm) minimum for a length of 24 inches (http://www.tdlr.texas.gov/ab/abtas.htm)
Believe it or not, this state is pretty progressive with ensuring accessibility. Most problems lie with utilities and varying right-of-ways.
Why this meter was plopped in the middle of the sidewalk I can’t understand. The city typically places them on a pad adjacent to the sidewalk. Perhaps someone should contact the local councilwoman’s office.
@Cody
When you have cities like Houston who obviously can’t execute adequate sidewalks, YES.
Christ. Are you really making sidewalks into a local rights issue?
People have a selective memory when it comes to why the feds intervene. They’re not boogeymen and they’re not autocrats – we did elect them. Its usually because local governments f* up enough for the feds to have to step in. If we didn’t f* up in the first place, the feds wouldn’t step in….
Slavery, racism, gun violence, unequal treatment of others, food standards, drugs, etc.
One can argue how bloated the government has gotten and the need to make it more efficient, but don’t blow smoke up everyone’s a$$ and pretend that everything is SO great when left up to states and local municipalities w/ no fed oversight. You get parking meters on sidewalks.
not really but if it really does create an impediment to those in a wheelchair, then the city needs to remedy this otherwise, the only thing that will motive the city is the fear of the Feds. No matter how much Parker thinks she is beloved by the current admin, get ADA activists involved and its a fight the city can’t win…
As others have noted, putting a solar-powered meter under a tree is ridiculous. Plus, blocking a sidewalk is doubly dumb.
.
On one hand, I’m wondering if this was a bit of sabotage by the meter installer. Maybe s/he objects to the mission and is trying to gum up the works?
.
(Knowing that we only hire the best and the brightest for the City, I’m not willing to put money on this theory.)
Parking at that center sucks anyways. After 5 the entire back parking lot goes to Valet. My wife was sitting in the car with our kids while I ran into Jose Bank to pick up an order and the valet chased her off. Maybe on street pay parking will improve parking for the actual stores in the area.
DNA: relax. I’m not trying to make the local government out to be saints. I’m just saying a parking meter on the sidewalk doesn’t seem like an issue for the Feds in Washington to come swooping in about. I’d just assume the meter not be there at all.