The authority's case for removing coin payment is decent: collection costs, vandalism, staff time. We accept all of it. Our objection is narrower and, we think, harder to argue with — the replacement has a single point of failure and it is located inside a building made of signal-absorbing material.

To pay, a driver must download an application, create an account, confirm an email, add a card, select a zone, and remain connected long enough to complete a transaction. Enforcement, meanwhile, requires no connection at all. It requires a camera and a licence plate.

The people most affected are the ones least represented in the procurement meeting: drivers without smartphones, drivers with prepaid data, visitors on roaming, and anyone parking in a basement. Enforcement notices were issued to all of them.

There has been movement, and we record it fairly: a pay-by-SMS fallback launched in July. It works. It is also undocumented on the signage, which is why this case is partially fixed rather than closed.