IT is interesting to ponder whether we would be reaching for $2 for the meter if Wollongong's councillors had not been sacked in March 2008.The installation of the 141 parking ticket machines that go live in the CBD today is not a popular one. Would any councillor have been willing to back such a move, or is it something that could only come about during this unique period when the population has no representation at the local government level?Of course, plenty of other cities with democratically elected councillors have introduced parking meters over the years.But none of those regional and city councils we contacted went as far as forcing motorists to pay a flat fee of $2 whether they park for 10 minutes or 120 minutes.It remains to be seen whether predictions of escape spending come to pass. Those retailers offering fare that sells for similar amounts to the new parking impost must be the most nervous. Who is going to want to pay $2 to stop for a few minutes to grab a $3 coffee? To be fair to council, it is struggling to deal with a chronic parking shortage and hopes the new machines will increase turnover. There is logic to this argument. It is harder to discern the logic in council's explanation that the $2 flat fee was chosen for its simplicity, when pro-rata parking has been tried and tested successfully across the country.