Dear DOT: Why the Bagged Meters?

By Eric Richardson
Published: Monday, October 13, 2008, at 10:02AM

Bagged Meters Eric Richardson [Flickr]

Seven meters are bagged on Spring street between 6th and 7th. Signs limit parking from 6pm - 6am, when the meters would be out of service.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — All weekend, seven meters on the east side of Spring street between 6th and 7th have sported bright red LADOT hoods. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher why, though.

Temporary signs restrict parking between 6pm and 6am Monday and Tuesday, but the meters on Spring are out of service then anyway. The hoods over the meters don’t make the spaces illegal for parking, they just eliminate the city’s ability to collect revenue on them.

This evening marks the opening of Versus LA.

Several of the meters are outside of Versus, the new club in the Stock Exchange building at 618 S. Spring. The No Parking signs match up with what one would expect for that event, but don’t explain the bagged meters.

Even if the bagged meters were intended for today, it would seem the city should rethink its procedures for putting the hoods in place. The meters were bagged on Friday, leaving them out of collection service all day on Saturday.

A search of the City Clerk’s site didn’t reveal any special event motions that would explain the parking closure, and the city’s Public Way Reservation System similarly showed nothing. Today is Columbus Day, so city offices are currently closed.

Update (2pm): Apparently Versus’ event for this evening got moved to Elevate Lounge.



Comments

1
Brigham writes:

Versus is opening on a Monday night?

# on Oct.13.2008 AT 01:28 PM
2
Eric Richardson writes:

Actually it looks like their event scheduled for tonight got moved to Elevate. I guess they didn’t get things done in time. It was an event for Primetime Race Group and Fashion Week.

# on Oct.13.2008 AT 02:04 PM
3
Dave Bullock writes:

Perhaps these are slated for the ol’ saw off and replace with newfangled meters?

# on Oct.13.2008 AT 03:27 PM
4
Bert Green writes:

I agree with Dave. Meters get bagged before they are removed. Probably that are getting replaced by one of those pay stations or the new meters that take credit cards.

# on Oct.13.2008 AT 03:36 PM
5
jim winstead writes:

i like the new ‘$3 per hour’ stickers they are putting on the meters now. not a lot of ambiguity there, and they are plainly visible before you’ve committed to parking on the street.

if the versus opening is imminent, surely they’ve been giving their sound system some test runs. any news from the neighbors about how well they’ve contained the noise from inside the club?

# on Oct.13.2008 AT 03:42 PM
6
Eric Richardson writes:

This is only part of a block (with meters remaining both north and south of the seven that are bagged), and is far from where other meters have been replaced with pay stations.

I’ve seen meters bagged during times where curb parking was going to be closed off for a long film shoot, etc, but can’t find anything to explain what the closure is here.

# on Oct.13.2008 AT 04:03 PM
7
Benjamin Pezzillo writes:

Versus appeared open Friday night but dark Saturday. No sound system complaints, couldn’t even tell. So far, so good.

# on Oct.13.2008 AT 04:13 PM
8
Dave Bullock writes:

Just wait until ultra-bass-death-house-loft-shaking Sundays afterhours.

Just kidding… I hope.

# on Oct.13.2008 AT 04:41 PM
9
Tornadoes28 writes:

I think you need to go back and look around the meters. They are bagging meters because they have placed the new pay stations there.

# on Oct.14.2008 AT 09:10 AM
10
Melanie writes:

I like to think they are bagging the meters to save the public. You know meters are evil and will bite when provoked!

# on Oct.14.2008 AT 09:52 AM
11
Eric Richardson writes:

Tornadoes: Those are the yellow bags. These are red, and were removed this morning. They were temporary meter closures.

# on Oct.14.2008 AT 01:30 PM
12
Tornadoes28 writes:

Eric, you are correct sir.

# on Oct.14.2008 AT 03:17 PM
13
paula writes:

Eric,

Maybe you could find out why all the meters on 2nd between Main and Los Angeles have been red bagged for two years.

# on Oct.14.2008 AT 03:30 PM

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