27141767
After circling the block in search for a parking space and then squeezing into that tiny spot, looking for change to feed the meter is the last thing drivers want to do. In an effort to alleviate parking frustrations, a new set of meters in Headhouse Square has been installed that might make it a little easier for visitors and residents, alike.
Debuting last month on Second between Lombard and South streets — a wide, bustling block lined with shops, bars and restaurants — the new machines have taken the place of individualized meters. Instead of standing in front of each parking space, the kiosk-like devices are spread out along the block. They not only accept paper money and coins, but Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Diners Club cards, as well.
"At least these don’t just take coins," Larry McCanney, a West Philly resident who likes to frequent South Street’s game and comic shops, said last week after parking his car. "It’ll make my life easier not having to scrounge around my car for quarters knowing I can just slip the machine a single."
The meters also take a new method of payment called Smart Cards. Sold by the Philadelphia Parking Authority, they can carry up to 20 hours of parking time and are inserted like a typical credit card.
"I’m glad these things accept credit cards now," Frank Coleman, who was parking his vehicle before making a visit to friends in the Headhouse area, said. "I was tired of scrambling for the missing nickel that kept me away from going into the shops without getting a ticket."
When drivers are finished paying for the space, the meter prints a piece of paper with the expiration date and time, which needs to then be placed in the car’s windshield.
Some drivers like Schuyler Carscadden, a former student residing in University City who frequents South Street, think this method has relieved the stress of wondering when time on the meter will run out.
"I pay, I take my ticket and stick it in my windshield. There’s no ‘oh god I have to feed my meter’ feeling. It’s done and it’s there," he said.
Though the meters have received many positive reactions, drivers should beware that, with this different type of parking, come new violations. The meters have warnings, which display suggestions that can help drivers remain parking-ticket free. For example, motorists should make sure the time and date on the receipt is clearly visible when placed in the windshield.
Enforcing these meters also has taken on a new method. Parking authorities no longer have to walk from meter to meter to check how much time is left. The new devices, which resemble arcade token machines, each display the information about the spaces they are responsible for.
Additionally, authorities need only to look at the windshields of parked vehicles to verify payment.
According to the Web site of Parkeon — the company that makes the machines — these meters can be monitored from a distance via computer. For example, should the cash box get low, if there is an attempted break-in or the machine is running out of tickets, Philadelphia Parking Authority is immediately notified.
Along with the convenience factor, the meters aim to be environmentally friendly, each being powered by solar panels attached to the top that charge during the day.
"This kind of stuff reminds me of the direction everything’s going in these days," Redbank, N.J., resident Andrew Falicon, one of Headhouse’s visitors last week, said. "They’re run by computers, use a new energy source and account for more [spaces] than the originals."
The solar-power approach also makes the meters easier to install, Parkeon’s site claimed, as they do not require a massive foundation for an electric source.
Though the new machines, which will remain until the end of August, seem to make parking a little easier on everyone, there is still an issue that hasn’t been solved. "It’s nice to have these new meters that take all different kinds of payment and stuff," Eric Lide, a visitor from New York, said, "but there’s still only a few places you can park. There’s a lot of people that come down here and only so many spaces."
