Parking patrol

Parking fines are the biggest scam in every major developed country.

If a private parking lot functioned the way most city (especially the 23 wards of Tokyo) the owners would be arrested for organised criminal activities and fraud.

Ask a Japanese to tell you the rules for parking where you are and watch the guess work begin.

I have asked police to read the signs and explain if I can or cannot park 90% of the time they look read the signs and go " I'm not sure" "maybe it is Ok" " but maybe not".

I have been more than once told by police it might be safer to use a private parking because the city parking signs are not clear.

One ward you can park at a parking meter after they stop, the next light it is a different ward and parking after the meters are off gets you a fine!

Most modern countries’ enforcement officers carry and use unbiased, electronic devices that log in to a centralized system, photographing the vehicle, tag and when visible under the windshield, the VIN along with the time/date and GPS location so their is no questions of the location’s restrictions and the violation. One copy of the violation/citation is left with the vehicle and the other immediately processed at the government level for disposition and dispatch of a tow-vehicle after a certain amount of reasonable time.

Only one officer should needed to patrol selective areas. That ‘pen & paper’ ambiguity of selective enforcement we may be seeing depicted here, is also the problem.

Plus, the towing companies and vehicle impound lots are the real, government-licensed pirates, taking their share of the extortion monies.

Agree with the above, it's confusing. But the I constantly see cars simply stop moving on the road and the driver get out, simply on the road, not vaguely a parking space, and normally straddling a cycle lane. That clearly should be a ticket.

MatToday  08:13 am JST

Agree about that but this is happening more and more as corruption in many cities/wards gets worse!

Take Akihabara for example, Chiyoda-ku has cut the number Parking meters by 2/3 supposedly at the "request" of "local businesses" due to "blocking their entrance view" every time they remove parking meters from an area, the private parking raises it's prices and guess who owns the private parking, the same business that requested the parking metres be removed.

Now private parking in Akihabara is at the low low low end ¥400 for 15 minutes no maximum to ¥800 for 10 minutes maximum ¥5,000 for 10 hours.

The point is people are trapped, you buy a large item you need a car to pick it up you need to pay crazy parking fees or just take a chance illegally park run in grab the item waiting and rush back to your car.

I leave my wife or one of my adult children in the car go get the items I need ( usually work related) and park "illegally" but as long as someone is in the car no ticket can be given because technically you are not "parked".

This trend of removing public parking at reasonable prices (parking meters) is growing and as that happens private parking it going up to criminal level fees.

Onstreet parking is very limited everywhere. It's inconvenient, but the solution is large multi-story card parks, like used in other counties. Prices tend to be reasonable too.

In a heavily built-up area such as Akiba, on-street parking will always be very limited, its unavoidable.

MatToday  09:50 am JST

Do you live in Japan? If so have you been to Tokyo?

I ask that because of this:

the solution is large multi-story card parks, like used in other counties. Prices tend to be reasonable too.

Most parking in Tokyo are multi-story elevator type parking and cost a fortune.

Akihabara is off the charts, you can park in Shinjuku even Shibuya or Ginza cheaper,

I have never had a parking fine. or seen a Parking enforcement offer, even in Nagoya. There is a few jobs worth's in Aeon carpark from time to time

Kochi has officer dibble though, they hide and pounce, swoop with that gotcha expression. the pen, the book, waiting if you don't throw yourself in penitence to the ground in remorseful wrongdoing for wheels parking on the pavement.

Buy bulky stuff online and have it delivered. You can check it out in shops first if you want. If staff ask why you aren't buying, say that it is because there is no affordable parking. They have no sale, but at least they have a clear 'entrance view'. In the UK, shops lobby local authorities for more/cheaper parking, as it ensures more footfall.

Zichi - Where 'low carbon' areas are decreed by local authorities, blocking cars from city centres, sales drop and shops close. Young, fit people may reclaim the streets, but they will lose the shops and other facilities as others cannot access the shopping areas any more. They cannot teleport there, and without their custom, the shops and cafes won't make enough to survive.

I'm surprised more shops don't deliver. If you ask, they might, for less than an online delivery fee. In the UK, shop owners in smaller towns get together and share a delivery service to cut costs.

@antiquesaving

Do you live in Japan? If so have you been to Tokyo?

Yeah, I live in Tokyo. The multi-story car parks are expensive because there's not enough of them, and they're small. How many car does the average one hold?

Car park building in the UK hold thousands of cars each, and the town centers have dozens of them.