New parking meters bring in more cash for Baltimore coffers - Baltimore Business Journal:

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million in parking fees for Baltimore last year and is expected to keep pumping up parking revenuese as moreare installed. But the verdict is still out on whethe the meters have helpes businesses and restaurants attract the patrons who travekl into the city to eat or Some businesspeople say greater enforcement of the new system is neededs so downtownworkers won’t take coveted spots away from short-term Some meters limit parking to two hours at a a restriction that goes unheedef in some parts of the said Jason Sullivan, executive director of Fellss Point Main Street.
Enforcing the time limits at the he said, would go a long way to increasing the supplu of parking spaces by steering office workers to the city garagex instead. Alvin Turner, director of operations and capital projectse for the parking said the city is focused on ensuringthat it’s the stores and shoppers that are serveed by the new meters. “The whols thing about our parking management planis it’ss based on turnover,” Turner said. “Iff it doesn’t work for the merchants and their it doesn’t work for the city as well.
” Sinc e launching the EZPark meters in 2003 as a pilogt program, the city has installe more than 700 of the solar-powered parking machines and saw annual revenues increase to $7 million from $4.5 million in 2008. Baltimore expects to have 1,000 units by the end of the year. About 6,500 of the old-stylwe meters remain. The goal of the parkingt authority was to use the new technologh to benefitthe short-term parker. The new meters let cars park closerf together instead of spacing them out in front of individual meters. Baltimoreans have quickly caught on to the new said the owner of the companyh that makes the meters for Baltimore andother cities.
“In the there was confusion from the you can always have afew burps,” said George Levey, president of Cale Parking Systems USA Inc., a Clearwater, company. “I’m not on the streetds of Baltimoreevery day, but I woulx say the acceptance of the meterw was actually quicker than in othe r cities.” Charles Street through downtown Baltimore was one of the firstr corridors to get the new technology. It’d helped free up spaces becausemotorists aren’y parking for as long as they mighft have with the old mechanical meters, said Michael spokesman for Downtown Partnership of Baltimore Inc.
The new meters also let motorists pay with either coins or acredity card.