On a recent visit to New Haven to pick up my son from college, I had the unfortunate experience of incurring a parking ticket.
It happened on a Saturday at the corner of Grove and Temple where new credit card parking meters have been installed. The signage around those meters is extremely vague and obscure. I even tried to call the City of New Haven parking department to determine how much money to put in and for how much time after 5 p.m., but no one answered (a Saturday, of course). The meters are nearly impossible to read in low light, the signage is vague at best, purposefully obscure at worst, and it is incredibly frustrating to incur a parking ticket unnecessarily (i.e., when one is trying to pay and do the right thing).
THE SIGNS SHOULD SIMPLY READ: PARKING METERS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 P.M.
That is, unless, of course, the current signage is purposefully obscure so as to bring in more city revenue. Meanwhile, the City of New Haven is simply creating a very negative impression for visitors. Please change the signage to make it as clear as possible for all those who would like to do the right thing and pay their fair share for parking privileges.
Mary Ellen Galante
Cambridge, MA