[Plantsci] Emailing: UA Parking Goes Coin-Free UANews.org

Thu Aug 18 07:11:52 MST 2011

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UA Parking Goes Coin-Free 

Description: digital meterDescription: digital meter inside

The UA’s 400-plus 1940s parking meters have been replaced with 35 digital parking stations that are low-maintenance and run on solar energy. 

By Rebecca Ruiz-McGill, University Communications, August 17, 2011 

Thirty-five solar-powered digital parking stations have replaced 400-plus coin meters around campus in a move to provide greater efficiency and service for UA visitors.

Pulling up to a parking meter and searching for change is a hassle for many drivers.

If you have ever longed for the day when you could ditch the quarters and pay with plastic, you're in luck. Thanks to an upgrade, the old-school parking meters on campus have been replaced with digital stations <http://parking.arizona.edu/news/?id=newparkin>  that allow visitors to pay with a debit card, credit card or CatCard.

The University of Arizona's 400-plus 1940s-era parking meters were replaced with 35 new, digital parking stations that are low-maintenance and run on green technology. The solar-powered ATM-ish stations will cover parking zones throughout campus <http://parking.arizona.edu/pdf/maps/campus.pdf>  at a rate of $1.50 per hour. Cash will no longer be an option. 

The Digital Payment Technologies <http://digitalpaytech.com/products/multi-space-parking-pay-stations/luke.aspx>  stations join the solar-powered crossswalk lights and trash compactors already installed across campus.

The new stations, set to be operational in early August, provide service in English and Spanish, accept payment for eight to 12 spaces each and can be reserved down to the minute needed – an option that aims to reduce the amount of spare time left on a meter. 

A receipt will confirm the space and time reserved, and drivers can use any station, including the one originally paid at, to pay for more time.

Parking space time is tracked digitally by the stations so customers have no need to display a receipt on their vehicle.   

The move by the UA's Parking  <http://parking.arizona.edu/> & Transportation Services to transition to digital parking stations was based on a desire to provide better, more efficient services to the University community and campus visitors.

"We are not looking to generate more income with the stations; we are simply keeping in pace with the parking industry's advances with technology and the efficiency that it brings," said Mark Napier, associate director of operations for Parking & Transportation Services.

The efficiency factor is built into the digital parking stations themselves. Their components are modular, simple to maintain by a non-technical person, and they can be monitored and collected from remotely – beating the station-by-station monitoring needed for the coin-operated meters, Napier noted.

"No one is losing a position due to the new parking stations. Their efficiency will allow us to focus on the better maintenance of assets within the Parking & Transportation arena," Napier added. 

Customer security was a priority when the purchase of new stations was being considered. "The system does not store any customer information," said Bill Davidson, marketing manager for Parking & Transportation Services. 

Currently, Parking & Transportation is working on synchronizing the CatCard and a pay-by-phone feature – the final steps before the new parking system goes into effect in time for the fall semester.

With the pay-by-phone feature, customers can opt to be notified via their cellphone when their time is almost up. They then can use their phone to pay for more time.

The system has already been tested at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus <http://phoenix.gov/downtown/biotech.html> . 

Said Napier: "We know what the system can do and are confident that we'll be ready to serve a busy campus community this fall." 

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