> extremely burdensome when the only way to pay is with eight quarters

"Extremely burdensome"? You're car probably has eight cup holders. Sorry to hear it can't carry eight quarters. Mine has no trouble with this.

by Alan on Jan 20, 2010 3:10 pm  

Does anyone remember the credit crisis that sparked the economic collapse we're still in the middle of?

Get cold hard cash. Don't give those F'n bankers another dime of taxpayer money.

by Redline SOS on Jan 20, 2010 3:14 pm  

I'd just be happy if the meters would take dollar coins, like many in Arlington do.

I have a couple rolls of quarters in my car for when I park in the District, but each pair of rolls only lasts for five parking times (as I almost always put in the maximum, rather than risk getting a $40 ticket because I return a little later than expected).

It's a little onerous to expect everyone to have rolls of quarters on them at all times. This also fills up the meters very quickly.

Frankly, the existing meters should have been designed to take dollar coins, as they've been around for 30 years.

by Joey on Jan 20, 2010 3:24 pm  

While they're at it, maybe they can see to it that the card processing hardware actually works on the existing green plastic multi-space park and pay meters. About half the time I try to use them, they're broken.

by Ron on Jan 20, 2010 3:24 pm  

The meters are probably the same single-space meters by IPS group that are being piloted by Arlington county. I have a call in to DDOT to confirm.

by Michael Perkins on Jan 20, 2010 3:24 pm  

Confirmed. That was fast. The meters are the same ones I wrote about in this article:

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=3432

by Michael Perkins on Jan 20, 2010 3:28 pm  

Woo-hoo!

by Erica on Jan 20, 2010 3:29 pm  

For those of us venturing in from the boonies (OK, Silver Spring) to visit the sights - now that there's enforcement on Saturdays it would be wonderful to. We all drove downtown this Saturday at 11-ish - marveled at the number of open parking spaces with nice red "Saturday Enforcement" stickers. Had to buy an ice cream to get $3 of quarters, which still only got 1 1/2 hours. Now if they could just lengthen Saturday limits on the mall to 3 or 4 hours - you can't see the museums in 2 hours and what other reason would there to be on Independence Ave. on a Saturday?

by Gary on Jan 20, 2010 3:53 pm  

The best meters I've ever used in my life where in Denver, CO. They allowed me print a ticket to put on my car, then pay by credit card when I was finished parking. Basically it charged me just like a parking garage. Ticket in, pay on the way out. No fines, no overpaying, just perfect. Please just bring these to DC...

by Shawn on Jan 20, 2010 3:53 pm  

Were in*

If anyone can find more info in this, I'd love to see it, too. Paying for your parking once you return to your car is the best solution. It's sad that every new meter that accepts credit cards doesn't use this method. Probably because jurisdictions would rather have people overpay or pay $45 tickets than just pay for the exact amount of parking they use.

by Shawn on Jan 20, 2010 3:56 pm  

New meters take dollar coins, confirmed by DDOT

by Michael Perkins on Jan 20, 2010 4:05 pm  

I think these are great. However, I do like the multispace meters since the street isn't lined with machines. I also think these will require just more maintenance, which may be a problem. Time will tell.

by Adam L on Jan 20, 2010 4:31 pm  

So how are these installed and how are they connected to a network that can approve/deny credit card requests?

From the looks of it, they just uninstall the top of a meter and replace it with this computer-type thing. But I don't understand how it connects with the card companies. Help?

@Shawn, if how you are describing it is true, the Denver system won't work here with parking spaces that have max time limits (aka 2 hour parking or 3 hour parking limits). The multi-space meters are the closest to what you're talking about, where you print a ticket with the time you have paid for and leave it on your car. Printing tickets isn't very environmentally-friendly, however, so these single space meters with credit card readers I think are more sustainable.

by E on Jan 20, 2010 5:54 pm  

What's wrong with the green tower thing that prints you a ticket to put in your window, like they're doing in Georgetown? Those also accept credit cards and change. Seems like they'd be easier and cheaper to maintain and collect money from than parking meters, even if the parking meters are solar powered. And while the green box isn't all that pretty, one ugly green box every block is much nicer than an ugly silver meter every 10 feet.

by private villas bali on Jan 21, 2010 1:02 am  

While we're at it, I also don't understand why there need to be hour limits anywhere. If the pricing is right (and I have an inkling the current $2/hr is about there, though $3/hr in high-traffic areas might work), the time limit is merely a nuisance and will have little additional turnover benefit.

2-hr limits seem to work for daily business meetings or lunches, but they're hardly enough for evenings. Given the new 10pm enforcement, I wonder if restaurants will start seeing a drop-off in reservations earlier than about 8:15pm, as drivers won't be able to park on the street earlier than 8pm and keep their spaces without the risk of citations.

by Joey on Jan 21, 2010 2:27 am  

The multi-space meter system where the spaces are not marked is the worst idea to come into DC in a long time! Folks don't have to park in a specifically designated and marked space, and so the take it upon themselves to use extra space, therefore cutting down on the number of parking spaces available. Parking turnover is needed badly in DC, so yes David the time limits are a good and necessary thing. And why are folks complaining about the need to be prepared with the proper coinage when coming into DC to park? Big deal...

by KevinM on Jan 21, 2010 6:31 am  

@Joey, KevinM: It's a balance. Performance parking would work with no time limits, you just have to raise the prices.

Question: would the prices then be "too high"? Too high for what?

The reasonable compromise here is to apply performance parking principles to adjust the prices in the absence of time limits, and choose a maximum price, say $4.00 per hour (comparable to downtown Chicago). Once the price hit the limit, DDOT would start adjusting time limits down, to six hours, then four, etc. All of this adjusting with the target that there be just the right amount of empty spaces so you don't have to hunt.

It's likely that very few people would be willing to pay $24.00-$32.00 ($3-4 per hour for 8 hours) to park on street all day in a congested downtown. There are usually subsititues available (transit, off-street parking, etc). We want long-term parkers to use those substitutes.

by Michael Perkins on Jan 21, 2010 8:23 am  

KevinM-Yes and no. The opposite problem is that small cars (Smart, Mini Cooper, etc.) don't need a "full" space and waste street parking. Perhaps we should charge by the foot of car, like for yachts at a dock?

by ah on Jan 21, 2010 9:21 am  

To me the use of pilots is a code for avoiding the competitive bid process. Parking technology is well developed in the US and shouldn't need further validation. Using credit cards certainly allows the charging of higher fees but is likely to be expensive. The cost of credit generally doesn't decline with volume and a unit and interchange fee on a small dollar items is a high percentage. Meters live in harsh environment and using credit cards will generally require more power. I would expect the use of bad cards to be quite high in an urban environment .

by Interested on Jan 21, 2010 9:50 am