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Chaos when parking: New machines in Meißen are constantly failing!
Criticism of new cashless parking ticket machines in Meißen: problems with failures and citizen feedback. Current developments.
Chaos when parking: New machines in Meißen are constantly failing!
In the heart of Meißen's old town, a new system has been causing quite a stir since the end of June: the city has converted ten parking ticket machines to cashless payment. What initially sounds like a practical step is currently perceived by many citizens as error-prone and unreliable. There has already been clear criticism of the new machines in the city council, reported Sächsische.de.
The decision to abolish cash payments for parking was justified by the city administration as being less prone to disruption and lower maintenance costs. Nevertheless, city councilor Martin Bahrmann (ULM/FBBM/FDP) repeatedly reports problems: “The parking ticket machine at the small market in particular often causes difficulties,” he explained recently. It is often the case that the message “successfully booked” appears after the card payment, but the devices fail and no parking ticket is issued. This is consistent with other reports from the population that confirm the existing problems.
Problems with the machines
According to the feedback available, it has become necessary for many Meissen residents to switch to the app. This was also the case with Bahrmann, who finally handled it this way when the machine didn't work. “It is important that these machines are checked as quickly as possible to ensure that the debits are correct,” he demanded at the last city council meeting. The complaints about unreliability do not appear to be just temporary.
The city has announced the conversion of the machines as part of a larger plan: From December 17, 2023, the first ten city machines will be converted to a cashless payment system in order to simplify use and also reduce the costs for daily emptying and deposits. DieSachsen.de points out that the new devices are also intended to avoid constant malfunctions in the coin changers. From January 2, 2025, operations will also be normalized, with all older ATMs being replaced by the new cashless models.
Free parking during holidays
Interestingly, parking in city parking lots is free during the holidays, like the City of Meissen explained. No tickets will be issued during this time, which will certainly be well received by many drivers. However, this regulation does not apply to privately managed parking spaces, for example near the former sawmill. Here, too, it should be noted that other traffic violations will still be prosecuted during this time.
It remains to be seen how the city administration will respond to the numerous complaints. The hope is that the upcoming upgrade will mean that the new machines will not only make it easier to pay, but will also offer greater reliability.