Pay and Display Parking Stations
Feb 5th, 2008 by contributor
Contributor Shawn Coleman, member City of Boulder, Downtown Management Commission updates us on the our Downtown Pay & Display Kiosks:
Boulder’s Downtown leadership has been pleased with the switch to parking kiosk for Downtown Boulder. The money you put into the solar powered pay and display stations support Downtown’s green initiatives including the Downtown Employee Eco Pass Program, a double edge sword in reducing the City’s carbon footprint by reducing vehicular traffic and forestalling construction of new parking structures.
Since the installation of the Kiosk, we have seen a significant decrease in overtime parking fines, one of the stated goals. Credit Cards account for more than 60% of kiosk transactions, clearly demonstrating the need for this convenience. The City of Boulder’s Downtown is still working with the vendors for the parking structure payment machines to offer a Smart Card. A pre-paid parking card that will be usable in both the parking structures as well as on-street kiosks. When the Smart Cards become available the City will be making a public notification in the local press.
Also please make note to keep your parking meter keys! The readable balance will be transferable to the Smart Cards. Meanwhile be aware that you can purchase Downtown Gift Cards, which you can use for shopping and dining at many Downtown locations as well as for parking in both the Garages and the Kiosks. Go to Downtown Boulder for more information on Downtown gift cards.
And finally a few parking tips:
1. Take your time with you! If you have time remaining on your parking ticket, just take it with you to your next stop downtown, or on the Hill! There is no need to repay, time paid for downtown is good anywhere downtown or on University Hill and vice/versa.
2. Need just a few more minutes? Parking enforcement officials are instructed to “add up” parking receipts. So if you need a few more minutes, simply display your new receipt in your dash with BOTH visible. Remember however, there is a 3 hour time limit.
3. Free Parking! Many Downtown merchants participate in the parking validation program, also you always get five minutes of free parking, and don’t forget parking structures are free on weekends.
Interesting, but *how* do you “take your time with you”? Are you saying that when you get to a new metered area that you display the old ticket with time still remaining then buy a new ticket for the additional time you need MINUS the remainder of the old ticket?
So if I had 30 minutes left on a ticket from downtown, say, and needed an hour at The Hill, I would just buy 30 minutes on a Hill parking device and leave both tickets on the dash?
Why am I skeptical that a meter person will add up the time correctly and suspect instead that they’d glance in, see a ticket that said ‘3:30″, look at their watch and see “3:50″ and write you a ticket ?