Drivers in downtown Phoenix without coins can rest easy now that 545 credit and debit card-enabled parking meters have been installed, removing a potential barrier to finding suitable parking.
The new single-space meters are solar powered and accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards. They will continue to support coin-based payments and can be distinguished by a grey top, green band around the post and prominent credit card logos.
These meters are the first stage in a complete shift to card-enabled parking meters, which will eventually replace all of Phoenix’s approximately 2,400 parking meters. The next step will be implementing ATM-sized, multi-space pay stations, which will also be card-payable and powered by solar energy.
Sina Matthes, a public information officer with the Street Transportation Department, said the goal of the new meters was to provide “customer convenience” for drivers who may not always carry change in their pocket.
“Parking is an issue for downtown. The new meters will provide more access and will be better for businesses and drivers,” Councilman Michael Johnson said.
Journalism junior Mariah Baker said she now uses the meters more often because she never carries change.
“I used to park blocks away just because I didn’t have change on me to feed the meters,” she said. “Now I park right up front because I can just swipe my card and go.”
Sean Sweat, an urban transportation expert, is supportive of the new meters.
“Street parking is one of the most pedestrian-friendly infrastructures,” he said. “Pedestrians don’t want to walk in places they don’t know people are supposed to be walking in. If they don’t see anyone parked on a street, they are less likely to walk there. Better street parking creates pedestrians.”
Sweat said he believed the new meters could be improved further if they implemented sensor-based dynamic pricing, a system that lets meters detect how often a parking space is used in a certain amount of time and adjusts the cost accordingly. This would price frequently used spots slightly higher than less utilized spaces, which would reduce the amount of competition for popular spots.
“We as a city are constantly looking to energize, and we have a lot of sun,” Johnson said. “We will be continuing to look into new technologies.”
Those technologies may someday include the ability to pay for parking via cell phone, he said.
The parking rate and times are the same as the old meters: $1.50 per hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and weekends.
Contact the reporter at travis.arbon@asu.edu
