P’ville Mulls High-Tech Parking Meters for Village
The Village of Pleasantville is exploring new high-tech parking meters to generate revenue and make payment options more convenient.
During a presentation before the village board last week, IPS Group, Inc.’s Director of Regional Sales Barry Davis performed a demonstration of the new meters. He said all major credit cards and 14 types of coins can be accepted. The public would be able to pay and extend time through an application on their smartphones.
“Part of our motivation is to make the place easier to come to and be here,” said Mayor Peter Scherer.
The meters run on solar power with a backup battery and have flashing LED indicators capable of being seen up to a block away to alert enforcement officers that time has expired or if there is a problem. The meters can display parking times and restrictions as well as post advertisements for upcoming community events or local businesses.
It can also recognize a coin jam and switch to a display of “credit card only” in hopes of preventing motorists from trying to park at a broken meter to avoid payment.
The current meter poles could still be used, but some would need to be lowered for handicap accessibility. The IPS meter heads are taller than the ones currently used.
For the municipal lots, village officials are considering the installation of new pay-and-display machines, which would allow residents to input their license plate numbers and get billed later. This new product from IPS won’t be available for trial for another 10 weeks.
A key drawback is that parking rates would need to be increased to cover the expense of installation. Davis explained rates would have to be raised to at least 75 cents an hour, and perhaps as much as $1, for it to be cost effective for the municipality. Currently, Pleasantville’s meters are 50 cents an hour.
Credit card payments would also require a $1 minimum regardless of the length of stay.
Pleasantville’s 12-hour parking spaces and the parking lots might be best suited for the new meters, as opposed to the shorter-term on-street spaces where shoppers sometimes park for only minutes, village officials said.
“Even at a dollar an hour, 12 bucks is still a deal,” Trustee Jonathan Cunningham said of the long-term spots.
Village officials noted that commuters who park in the 12-hour spots would be more inclined to use the meter’s credit card option because they could carry less change.
The meters have a 10-year guarantee. IPS has installed 500 meters in New Rochelle, as well as in big cities such as Los Angeles and Boston.
The village would have the option of placing sensors in the parking spaces, which would prevent drivers from parking in a space without paying. The sensors would reset the meters to zero when a car leaves, which would increase revenue. Board members seemed less inclined to opt for that feature because each sensor would cost nearly $300 to install and batteries would have to be replaced every three years.
Board members expressed interest in the new meters but said they would need to evaluate the new rates. Pleasantville would also need to find a third-party service to handle the credit card transactions. However, the board agreed the meters would be a step forward.
“It puts us in a position where we’re leaning forward. Even if it’s only on a partial basis or in certain areas, it shows we’re thinking of ways to make life a little easier,” said Trustee Steven Lord.
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