What irks me is the way they do it here where often you have to decide how long you want to buy a parking ticket for when you park, not when you leave. So you either overpay or get an additional fine for overparking.

I totally see how that's annoying on an emotional level. But rationally it's pretty clear that communities everywhere are short on funds and need to rely on this kind of revenue.

And yes, I get that you can still use these space for free if you don't park there, but it's the constant take take take.

It just seems like a low blow to charge people for these public spaces. There is not a lot one can do for free anymore, and going to a public park was one of those.

...We support all kinds of public services that not everyone uses.

I can see that, but we've already paid for using these spaces through our regular taxes, hence my double dipping comment. Sure, not everyone has a car, and I can see that argument, but...

I've always seen it as me using public space to park my private vehicle. That space is provided and maintained by the state and cannot be used for anything communal while my car is parked there. So I pay my debt to society in €