Under a proposal put forth by the Downtown Racine Corporation, city meter parking would go high-tech while still maintaining the ability to feed meters with coins.
DRC Executive Director Devin Sutherland told The Journal Times his idea to upgrade existing meters consists of adding software and developing an app that gives drivers the option to pay their meter with a debit or credit card and add time when they get an alert that time is expiring.
Sutherland also said there would have to be new software and/or devices that meter readers carry so they can more accurately detect whether or not a meter is truly expired. He also told the newspaper the upgrade will encourage downtown visitors to stay longer, the story continues.
“Probably the single biggest complaint we get from folks is when they come Downtown and leave with a $20 overtime parking ticket,” he is quoted as saying.
City Transit and Parking Manager Mike Maierle is interested in exploring the possibilities.
“I think the idea is interesting enough to talk about and do some looking into,” he told the newspaper. “Anything we do to make life more attractive and enjoyable for folks Downtown is a good thing.”
The estimated costs of implementing the new system are estimated to be between $20,000 and $30,000, the story reads.