Those high-tech parking pay stations scattered around Winnipeg may be smart, but even they have felt the chill during the recent cold snap — and that's been good news for some lucky drivers.

There have been four days so far this winter when the machines stopped issuing receipts as they should, Dave Hill, chief operating officer of the Winnipeg Parking Authority, said Friday.

When the temperature drops below -35 C, smart parking pay stations like this one may not give you a receipt for your money, and you may end up with free parking.
(Donna Lee/CBC)

"Most of the activity of the machines are directed through the liquid crystal display … and what happens in the cold is the liquid crystals start to freeze and the machine slows down," Hill said.

The City of Winnipeg has been introducing the solar-powered electronic pay kiosks since July, gradually replacing its 2,500 aging coin-operated meters. But when they don't print out the receipts that drivers are supposed to place on their dashboards, Hill said, those drivers cannot get ticketed for it.

"Obviously if we can't accept payment, then we can't penalize anyone for not paying," Hill said.

"There are many modes that are offered for the machine — of course, we have credit cards and we have coin readers and everything — but if the machine can't physically process the ticket, we're not going to give you a parking ticket for that.

"At times, when it's below –35 C and we know that the machines aren't functioning well, that'll be the case," Hill said. "So free parking, well, effectively, on those days."

Hill said the city loses about $2,000 in revenue each day the 209 stations fail to operate. He added the authority is looking at some ways to keep the machines working through the winter.

"One solution may be to put a small heater in the machine that can keep it warm on a thermostat below –30 C," he said.

And don't think you can outwit the "smart" machines: they communicate wirelessly with the parking authority's headquarters, meaning staff will know which machines are working which aren't.

Much of southern Manitoba has been shivering under an Arctic mass that has driven temperatures well into frigid territory for the past week. At noon Friday, the temperature in Winnipeg was –26 C, with a wind-chill value of –36 C.