An upside to -40C

Those high-tech parking pay stations scattered around Winnipeg may be smart, but even they have felt the chill during the recent cold snap — and that's been good news for some lucky drivers.

There have been four days so far this winter when the machines stopped issuing receipts as they should, Dave Hill, chief operating officer of the Winnipeg Parking Authority, said Friday. When the temperature drops below -35 C, smart parking pay stations like this one may not give you a receipt for your money, and you may end up with free parking.When the temperature drops below -35 C, smart parking pay stations like this one may not give you a receipt for your money, and you may end up with free parking.

"Most of the activity of the machines are directed through the liquid crystal display … and what happens in the cold is the liquid crystals start to freeze and the machine slows down," Hill said.The City of Winnipeg has been introducing the solar-powered electronic pay kiosks since July, gradually replacing its 2,500 aging coin-operated meters.

But when they don't print out the receipts that drivers are supposed to place on their dashboards, Hill said, those drivers cannot get ticketed for it."Obviously if we can't accept payment, then we can't penalize anyone for not paying," Hill said."There are many modes that are offered for the machine — of course, we have credit cards and we have coin readers and everything — but if the machine can't physically process the ticket, we're not going to give you a parking ticket for that.

Winnipeg drivers pleased as parking meters freeze

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