car however, the owner of the vehicle can question either the date of the tick- et or deny driving the car that day. Con- sidering that some parking tickets are issued to cars parked at a pedestrian crossing which didn’t exist at 8 am when the car was originally parked but was painted at 2 PM, the driver usually carries his camera phone and takes a snapshot to verify his innocence. The average parking ticket is about $60. Our next stop is the NewTown of
Warsaw. Shops, offices, cafes, hotels and residential buildings pepper the area. July 1st brought on an installa- tion of hundreds of pay stations. The leadingWarsaw Newspaper reported that residents of the area can purchase monthly permit cards at under $10, 30 zl a month. Nevertheless, the article was on a back page and went unno- ticed. Also, there was a waiting period of 7 days and a need for the proofs of residency, registration and ownership of the car. Subsequently, most people ignore the need for those parking per- mits and chance not getting a ticket or throwing it away. I questioned my cousin about the
ethics of Polish people. She said that most believe that since the govern- ment is still corrupted and basically thieving, that allows the people to practice dishonesty. I can see that after decades of Russian occupation, folks see the government as nothing but a bunch of crooks. There is a deep dis- trust of any government officials and police. The later being the unequivo- cal enemy. The end of our day brought me
into the picturesque Old Town War- saw. My cousin informs me we must drive first to the Theater Square. I am excited because I spent many evenings in Warsaw’s National The- ater as a child. That is where I fell in love with Chekhov. She explains that our trip to the square isn’t for sight- seeing but to park. TheTheater Square lot has a large
underground parking that is safe and not too expensive, at 75 cents an hour. From therewe can hop on a trolley and be in the OldTown in no time. Parking in OldTown is non existent. I ask my cousin where the shop- keepers and the residents park. She
www.parkingtoday.com NOVEMBER 2010 • PARKING TODAY •
www.parkingtoday.com 49
shrugs her shoulders and says that they don’t. I mention that in NewYork park- ing is tough also. She says,Warsaw isn’t New York; it is the city filled with ghosts of UncleVanya but all the Cherry Trees are gone. And not because they “paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” They simply never grasped that for this new economy and this young car culture to thrive, there has to be some parking infrastructure. Upon returning home with wonder- ful Polish memories, I realize that the
parking meter has just celebrated its 75th birthday. I used to think the meter was one ugly dude. After my Warsaw trip and after realizing how precious, elegant and easy it is, I am ready to give it a cake and celebrate its anniversary by feeding it some quarters. Free at last to park as I please.
Astrid Ambroziak writes periodically for Parking World. She can be reached at
Astrid@parkingworld.com.
PT
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64