PORTLAND, Maine — The city of Portland Monday morning began installation of 18 solar-powered parking meters that accept credit card payments.
“A lot of the merchants downtown were tired of making change,” said city Parking Manager John Peverada Monday. “It’s a dollar an hour with a two-hour limit. That’s eight quarters, and not many people carry around eight quarters any more.”
The new meters will produce a ticket to be placed on a car’s dashboard indicating how much parking time was purchased. If the visitor finishes his or her business in that area earlier than expected, Peverada said, the car can be moved to a space near another new meter elsewhere in the city for the remainder of the time purchased.
“With [the older] meters, if you put money in, you’ve lost it,” Peverada said. “The next guy gets free parking.”
The new meters, which cost between $7,500 and $8,000 each and are funded through the city’s capital improvements budget, also will communicate with city officials, passing data by way of cellular towers like an average smartphone.
“Where it’s going to make things easier is these will be able to send us a text or email when the machines are down or when there needs to be a collection,” Peverada said.
The 18 meters will be installed in select areas on Commercial Street, Fore Street, Free Street, Federal Street near the Cumberland County Court House and near Maine Medical Center in the West End. The city set aside $175,000 overall for the pilot project, covering the purchase and installation of the machines, informational signs and ongoing maintenance. The new meters are scheduled to go live on May 21.
Nearby, Portsmouth, N.H., officials reportedly said revenue from parking tickets dropped by about 10 percent since that city installed similar new meters, as drivers became more apt to pay by plastic.
I don’t want them near my house, they may cause cancer and interfere with my electronics…
Have you tried tinfoil? Wearing a protective layer under your clothes is a good way to block out the harmful/brainwashing rays emitted from all modern electronic devices.
I forgot to wear my protective layer one day and ended up voting for Obama. :(
You will have the people whining they put out too much RF like the smart meter for the electric company………Stealing your personal info, oh my….
I hope everyone realizes this is not an example of “pays for themselves” The revenue stream from parking is there regardless of what machine is in place. 8 thousand dollars and our neighbors to the south stated revenues were DOWN because of these machines. I suspect these will be prime target for vandalism as well.
Please explain how this betters the community? If the only benefit is that the local shops won’t need to carry change that’s quite a stretch. Pretense they name be alternative energy.
If you have not parked at a meter without change in your pocket you cannot appreciate the benefit of these meters…as to your question, they better the community of parkers.
This can’t be too safe in regards to credit cards and debit cards. :(
Portland spends 100,000 on solar parking meters? Will the madness never end?
Another reason not to go downtown. Mall parking is free.
Treating the public as if they are a nuisance is epidemic
throughout downtown Portland. I will spend
my money someplace else. More to spend .if I do not have to pay so much for
parking. More time, if I do not have to
move my car so often.
with 20 to 30 cents per swipe going to the credit card companies I dont see how they will make much money off them.As a business owner(previous) I know how much they charge.
Make money? How do you think they get the change from the meters? A PW employee walks the street daily, emptying the meters. No meters to empty, no employee to pay.
ah thats true too! Never thought of that