Local Merchants Report Surge in Motorists Seeking Coins for Paid Parking

The list of shopkeepers who, literally besieged by motorists seeking coins for paid parking, turn to our editorial team to report this situation, continues to grow.

The latest in this series is the owner of Elite Sport shop on Viale Cannella, who, being close to a parking lot (which lacks a change machine), again yesterday had to deal with dozens of tourists looking for coins.

“There was a moment,” he recounts, “when I found the shop full of people, and I realized that none of them had come inside to buy anything: everyone was holding one or two thousand lire and wanted to exchange them. Is it possible that the municipality cannot provide a change machine?”

Interventions by merchants and availability of the change machine

This is a question that has already been raised by the merchants of viale Roma, whose protests we have previously reported in recent days.

And it is precisely to the shopkeepers in the city center that some residents have responded, reporting the presence — for several days now — of a change machine at the viale Pilati parking lot.

Indeed, the valuable device is operational on one of the two columns located in the area, but it is also true that its function is not adequately signaled, and its usage appears to be, quite likely, “invisible” to people.

The explanation in Italian is very, very generic, and there is no indication in German or English, which makes the device practically — “invisible” — to the public.

It is difficult to think, in fact, that the dozens of motorists who daily turn to the shopkeepers find it fun to search for coins around rather than use the machine.

In short, if the change machines exist, the municipality must make this very clear to those parking.

Only in this way will they prevent these motorists from continuing to turn to shopkeepers for coins.