Random Drifts

• Too many locations on Hertel and Elmwood (and other streets, I'm sure) where on-street parking is banned "from here to corner" for no reason. These need to be looked at and fixed. More spaces on the street = more people can park = more business = happier business owners. Also, more parking revenue when it is not being stolen. Which leads to...
• App my parking meter. The elimination of the post-WWII-era coin-op parking meters in favor of the randomly distributed paper-receipt-on-dashboard-producng-meters has been a step in the right direction, but its time to app-ify parking. Park on the street and click the Nickel City Meter App to pay for your parking. Day and Time already entered. You enter the duration and your credit card or account is charged. Metermaid/maiden/person can snap a pic of your plate to check your payment status. Question: What's wrong with the new meters? Answer: Winter. Park and then try to get to one of the meter stations with a big pile of slushy snow and no cuts to get from street to sidewalk. Answer #2: Less chance for people stealing from the machines if there is no money in the machine. Problem: No smartphone. Solution: What year is it?
• Dude, where's my bus? Go to the NFTA site to look at their online bus schedules/route maps. At least they are available online, but a mobile app would make riding the bus easier for infrequent riders. An app showing routes, current bus locations, ETAs, and fare information would encourage more people to hop on the bus. Walk up to a bus stop and scan the QR code on the sign and up pops information about the buses that will come by, when they will come by, and where they go. Good for locals and out of towners.
• Walk/Don't Walk signals that don't work. Fix them or standardize them. Don't leave us guessing if the button really works, or if it is intended to be a placibo.

 

Posted with Blogsy