Description

The city web site states that "Bikes park free on all City of New Haven parking meters." But when the parking meter coin collectors come by, if a bike is in the way of them collecting the change, they will just wrench it around to the other side of the meter -- whether or not doing so damages the bike. For a securely locked bike, this kind of treatment is going to damage the spokes, brakes, and possibly even the wheel. Today, my seat post was wrenched about 20 degrees clockwise, so that's just how I'm riding for the rest of my day until I can get home to fix it. Since I never know when the collectors are going to come by (seems to be a different day of the week every time), there's no good way for me to plan for this. It's the equivalent of doing street sweeping at random intervals and using a bulldozer to remove any cars that are parked on the side of the road.

This seems to be a department-wide policy because it's been done to my bike by multiple meter coin collectors over multiple months. I have video of the most recent event from my business's atrium security camera. (10:10 AM today on Whitney just north of Trumbull, in front of Escape New Haven.)

Possible solutions:
- Publicize a meter coin collection schedule (similar to street sweeping)
- Instruct meter coin collectors to *just leave it* (and flag for later follow-up) if they can't access the coins without manhandling someone's bike; create accountability so that this isn't just a policy in name only

Non-solutions:
- Remove parking meters as on option for bike parking in New Haven. (There are not enough bike racks.)
- Tell bikes to park on the street side of the meter. (Ever seen a bike wheel that looks like a pretzel because a driver let their trunk go over the curb while they were parallel parking? I see it all the time in New Haven.)

I've also just left a voicemail about this issue at your office.