It's a long standing tradition for me to not pay for parking, mostly because I never have coins on me. My town has offered a smartphone payment system for some years now but for some reason I've never gotten around to it, until now. These things have been around for years so it's probably old news to lots of people, but I'm just starting to use it now and I like it a lot. Usually I'm the first guy to try new stuff, particularly when it involves a smartphone and making life easier, but it took me a while to try this.
Basically, you make an account with the provider (in the case of my town, Sweden-based EasyPark) and enter your credit card details. A few days later, you receive a sticker in the mail. This is supposed to go on your windshield, to tell the traffic terroristwarden that you're an EasyPark user. The warden has a handheld device where he/she can run your plate and check if you paid or not.
You just park your car, pull your phone out, fire up the app, have it locate you and present you with a list of nearby "zones". Earlier today I was parking on the street outside a kebab shop and had to choose from two zones: the actual street I was on and the privately owned parking next to it. If you're unsure, just locate the nearest parking meter because it'll have a sign on it with the zone number. If the place is easypark enabled, anyways. Which it usually is, in my town.
EasyPark is obviously more expensive than actually paying with coins, but you never overpay since you can cancel your parking when you return to the car. You can also buy more time if you realize you're going to be late.
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