Town advances cell phone parking payments

MAYOR William Floyd pulled up to a parking space, dialed a number into his cell phone and watched as two hours of paid time flashed on the meter in front of his car.

And with that, the Atlanta suburb launched one of the nation's first pay-by-phone parking systems, part of a strategy designed to encourage more turnover and ultimately more revenue.

For the last year alone, Decatur has used a system from 'StreetSmart Technology LLC', that uses sensors to detect whether a car has moved. This blocks drivers from plopping in more coins when the two-hour time limit runs out. It also connects parking attendants to a database that alerts them when meters expire or points them toward drivers parked in spaces without paying.

Decatur ramped up its efforts Tuesday with the pay-by-cell system, which let drivers call a local number plastered on each meter. After entering the parking space number, they get a text message with a Web site address to create an account using a credit card. Once an account is created, drivers can just call the number each time to draw down their account.

A small handful of other cities around the nation employ similar systems. But Decatur is the first that uses technology that flashes the time bought on a meter instead of, say, a printed ticket, said Eric Groft, a StreetSmart project manager.

To entice drivers to use the system, the city is offering the first two hours of pay-by-cell parking for free. After that, it will charge cell phone users an additional US 25 cent ($0.37) transaction fee.

About 50 of Decatur's 385 meters are outfitted with the pay-by-cell equipment, which costs an estimated US$200 per meter. Each is outfitted with radios that can transmit data and sensors for detecting cars. It also let's drivers pay the old-fashioned way using change.

Parking monitors seem especially focused on the way the system helps them rest their legs and take their sweet time.

"We walk around the city all day, and it is indeed taxing," said Janice Monroe, a Decatur parking liaison. "This let's us know where meters expire so we can walk directly to them and cut down on our walking and anxiety, and finding where we parked our cars all the time."

Reuters