Credit Card Friendly Parking Meters are Decatur’s Next Parking Project
Decatur Metro | July 3, 2012Big news for Decatur parkers who don’t carry around much coinage these days.
During discussion of purchasing new parking control equipment for the Decatur Conference Center last night, Mayor Bill Floyd followed up with Asst. City Manager Lyn Menne about when the city would move forward with plans of replacing all 301 coin-only city parking meters with new meters that also accept credit and debit cards.
“That is the next project. We’re going to be issuing requests for proposals to purchase that equipment now that it has been approved.”
Follow up questions by Commissioner Fred Boykin clarified that the meters would take credit and debt cards in addition to coins and that all 301 city meters would probably be replaced, depending on the cost per meter.
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This is different from the system that is/was on the Square for awhile with some kind of cellphone mediated parking meters? Suffice it to say that I never figured it out. I would go to all the trouble of setting it up with a credit card number etc. but then forget how to do it by the next (infrequent) time that I needed to park at the Square and I’d have to set everything up all over again.
THANK YOU CITY OFFICIALS!!! I hope this is the same system that is in use in VaHi and other major areas where you can pay by credit card and get a receipt that you stick on the inside of your window. I mean, who carries coins these days?
I am always amazed at how much of a hot button topic parking is, especially for a city like yours that values walking and green initiatives as much as it does.
Well, I think it’s because of the unique character of our city that parking is such a hot button topic. Residents value their ability to walk to the square and Oakhurst Village, but those same businesses we love rely on easily accessible parking to bring in shoppers/diners from outside the area. Finding the right balance has always been a touchy subject, but one that’s crucial for the city’s ongoing success.
And since many of us residents are often walking or biking, we are kind of like tourists when we actually have to use a car to go downtown, e.g. because of little ones being transported or bad weather. Good signage, convenient meters, well-lit clean parking decks, help us too.
Completely agree. And need to mention that the post should have read “for a City like ours.”
I make every effort to never take the car downtown (unless it is 106, then that’s a different story). It’s no more than a 20 or 30 minute walk from anywhere in our city.
I am an attorney within a ten minute walk of the courthouse. If the weather is nice, as it often is in the spring or fall, I will take a leisurely walk to the courthouse when I have to file motions, etc. However, when it is raining or 107 degrees I drive. I love the idea of credit card parking since I can buy our receptionist a debit card with $25 to use for parking at the courthouse. Hurrah!
Hoping it is like the parking meters on the Square. Super easy to use with my cell phone.
Maybe the Dollar General will have this feature.
Yea! Decatur enters the 21st century! Love the credit card meters.