by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
City Council president Elaine Brown has always had big ideas for downtown. Replacing its parking meters may be her next frontier.
Now halfway into her year-long presidential term, Brown is planning a meeting with the Council’s eight committee chairs after the first of the year. There, she said a presentation advocating new wireless meters will be made.
Relying less on multiple meters and manpower and more on a computerized network, Brown said the system could be “downtown’s next big step forward.”
Meters currently in place would be replaced by pay stations, each controlling parking along one block. As soon as one driver leaves, the timer resets, allowing no spill-over minutes for the next paying customer.
Time, however, can be added to a parking spot by paying at any one of the stations.
“It’s something that’s still in the very early stages,” she said, “but I do think it has the potential to be a major improvement over what we have now.”
Mirroring systems already up in running in Seattle, Wash., New York City and Washington D.C., Brown said the meters would be able to accept coins and credit cards and that their status could be checked remotely by the City’s Parking Division.
“It would definitely be a major advancement as far as service is concerned,” said Brown. “Instead of having our parking people going up and down the street checking the meters, all they would have to do is check a monitor.”
In Seattle, meter maids can cruise for violators using handheld monitors located inside their vehicles. The devices have built-in maps which display paid spots in green and expired spots in red.
Central control allows the City to adjust rates as sporting events and concerts come to the area.
Brown said those details will be discussed at a later time.