Speaking of zoo parking
A reader sends along this story from the U.K.:
A Well-Planned RetirementOutside England 's Bristol Zoo there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years, its parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant. The fees were for cars, about $1.40, for buses about $7.
Then, one day, after 25 solid years of never missing a day of work, he just didn't show up; so the Zoo Management called the City Council and asked it to send them another parking agent.
The Council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the Zoo's own responsibility. The Zoo advised the Council that the attendant was a City employee. The City Council responded that the lot attendant had never been on the City payroll.
Meanwhile, sitting in his villa somewhere on the coast of Spain (or some such scenario), is a man who'd apparently had a ticket machine installed completely on his own; and then had simply begun to show up every day, commencing to collect and keep the parking fees, estimated at about $560 per day -- for 25 years. Assuming 7 days a week, this amounts to just over $7 million dollars!
And no one even knows his name.
| Posted at 2:47 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (13)
This old saw is at least 10 years old and, according to Snopes, is a complete fabrication. Shame on you for not checking it out before you forwarded it.
Posted by Rolf Glerum | December 11, 2012 2:57 PM
Yeah, the fact that neither the zoo nor the city ever tried to raise parking rates over the claimed 25 year period should be an instant give-away that it's bogus... cash cow like that, you know some bureaucrat's going to be milking it.
Posted by Brad | December 11, 2012 3:08 PM
We were in Oklahoma a couple of months ago. We visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. There is a sign in the parking lot with a picture of a man and a warning people not to pay the man for parking.
By the way, if you ever have the chance to visit the memorial, don't miss going there. It is a truly moving experience you will not soon forget.
Posted by JohnH | December 11, 2012 3:13 PM
What strikes me as odd about the Zoo parking is that the attendant booth has been sitting empty for decades.
I know that paid parking was a big no no from zoo patrons according to the Zoo surveys in the past
Is there some overwhelming need for money that we're not aware of here? Some bill that they've covered up that coming home to roost?
I thought the OZ was nominally profitable back when they had $10 concerts and free parking, ie, 3 years ago. Even with the huge cost over runs on their construction projects for the last 15 years.
Posted by T | December 11, 2012 4:36 PM
It is a lovely story...I wish it were trure!
Posted by Portland Native | December 11, 2012 5:10 PM
I totally got the allegory and sarcasm.
And the parallels to this story:
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019878413_portaudit11m.html
Posted by TheD Man | December 11, 2012 5:31 PM
But Jack's story is so EASY to believe about Portland.
For those youngsters too young to remember the time before computers... the Portland's entire coin operated PARKING meter REPAIR Department was caught with duplicate keys they used as their own piggy bank.
They were NOT caught by any audit or internal controls, but a sharp bank employee when they tried to buy their own high capacity coin sorting machine from a bank.
I'm pretty sure none of them did any time and I doubt they even lost their union job.
I'm going to guess sometime in the late 60's or early 70's.
Posted by ltjd | December 11, 2012 5:56 PM
a complete fabrication
Who cares? It's a great story.
Shame on you for not checking it out
No need to, when argumentative jerks are always standing by ready to correct, usually under a pseudonym.
Posted by Jack Bog | December 11, 2012 7:29 PM
... and that man's name was Ellis McCoy.
Posted by Al in SE PDX | December 11, 2012 7:29 PM
I remember kids collecting for parking on empty lots around the L.A. Coliseum for Rams games in the '70s. Problem: They had no connection to the owners of the lots at all.
Posted by Jack Bog | December 11, 2012 7:40 PM
Beautiful if true. Another take off on "Catch Me If You Can."
Posted by Bob Clark | December 11, 2012 7:47 PM
What strikes me as odd about the Zoo parking is that the attendant booth has been sitting empty for decades.
Not quite...
Those booths were installed as part of the Westside MAX project. The idea was to charge for parking so that commuters wouldn't use the lot and ride MAX into downtown. But the parking fees weren't approved...when they were, it was decided to have the Zoo, the Forestry Center and the Children's Museum collect the parking fees (on an honor system); while visitors who did not attend those attractions (i.e. the Vietnam Memorial) parked for free.
Westside MAX opened in 1998. Only 14 years ago. Before then, the park road went straight through the middle of the lot (as opposed to on the west side of the lot) and the entire parking lot was accessible from the main road.
Posted by Erik H. | December 11, 2012 9:09 PM
Speaking of Zoo barfing:
Norovirus suspected of sickening 90 at Oregon Zoo private event | Lynne Terry, The Oregonian 12/11/2012 6:30 PM
A private meeting of medical professionals at the Oregon Zoo last week ended with dozens of people falling ill.
Con't at --http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/12/norovirus_suspected_of_sickeni.html
Posted by Mojo | December 12, 2012 12:07 AM