To the Editor:

Recently I was issued an overtime parking violation in the Griggs Corner parking lot. It turns out that the new “improved” parking meters no longer grant a 10-minute grace period, unlike all of the other meters in Princeton. The ticket was issued at 11:59 a.m.; I was back at the car at 12:01 p.m.; missed it by two minutes, well within the ten-minute grace period that is no longer granted.

I discovered this the next day when I walked to the lot, found an expired meter and deposited a nickel. The meter displayed 2 minutes, counted down to 1 minute, then expired — no grace period.

However, I noticed that the 2 minutes seemed to go by too quickly, so I deposited yet another nickel and timed the countdown with my watch. The display started at 2 minutes as before, but in only about 40 seconds went to 1 minute, then 60 seconds later displayed “Expired.”

Then I did the math: the rate is $1.75/hour, which translates to 20.57 seconds/cent. So a nickel actually buys you 5 times that, i.e., 103 seconds, which is 1 minute and 43 seconds. Therefore although the meter displays 2 minutes, it actually gives you only 1 minute and 43 seconds.

A worse case occurs if one deposits 15 cents. In that case the display shows 6 minutes, but you only get 5 minutes and 9 seconds. So in the time it takes you to make a note of the time and walk away thinking you have 6 minutes, you actually have 5. Makes it easy to get an overtime parking violation.

Either way, I would call the meter display “deceptive.” (I’m guessing that the reason for the previously granted generous 10-minute grace period was to avoid this issue).

But wait, there’s more: it turns out that as of July 1 this year, the municipality of Princeton no longer operates the Griggs Corner lot (check www.princetonnj.gov/parking.html), but it does enforce the meter usage using the Parking Enforcement Unit. Does this make Princeton complicit in the deception?

Although my parking violation was dismissed, I still had to pay a $20 court fee. One might argue that all overtime parking violation fines (and court fees) should automatically be dismissed until this issue is addressed.

I have now spent enough time, effort, and money researching this. I leave it in the hands of the legal professionals and the politicians.

Thank you for your time.

Michael Diesso

Harrison Street 

P.S. I would like my $20 court fee back.

P.P.S. The phrase “Boycott the Lot” has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?