Car Parking spaces

[kags]

In our town centre there are loads of electronic signs telling you how many empty spaces are in the various town centre car parks. On Saturday, one of the car parks apparantly had 3 spaces in it - (we were tempted to go and check it out). My question is, how accurate are these signs - and how do they know how many spaces there are? I can understand with the barrier controlled car parks, but some of them are open pay and display car parks with several entrances. My son says there is a man somewhere watching through binoculars. My hubbie says there are sensors under the parking spaces ( a bit hi-tech for Huddersfield) and I am of the opinion someone somewhere is just having a guess at the numbers.

[archbishop]

GAB kags. I like the sound of the man with the binoculars myself. But as it's pay and display there might be a counter in the pay machine linked to the sign. So if you pay for an hour and overstay, the machine will think you have left and display a space available when there isn't and vice-versa of course.

[stoo_pid]

I thought there were simple sensors at the entrance & exit - it counts how many in & how many out.  It doesn't legislate for those thick idiots that take up 2 (or more!) spaces though.

[Octavius]

Hey some of us need 2 spaces with our cars, to stop some numbty bashing our doors in when they open theirs!

Its a ticket thing, it works out how many tickets the machine has given out at the entrance and how many have been put back in at the exit.

[ianess]

Agree totally with stoo_pid.

Octavius....you just throw the sensors out and you should be paying double or using a lorry park.  Same goes for delivery vans taking up car parking spaces.