NYC Developing Test System for Upgraded Meters

I spoke at length with Guillermo Leiva, Assistant Commissioner of the NYC Department of transportation Bureau of Parking the other day. He was telling me about the city’s outreach to industry in its goal to upgrade and expand its pay and display meter program. He sent me an excerpt of an article he is writing:

“Cities Keeping Pace with New Technology”

                If you are with a city or a municipality, chances are you have or are planning to update your on-street parking system. Projects converting single space meters to multi-space meters are recently underway in cities such as Tampa Bay and New York. Guillermo Leiva, Assistant Commissioner, New York City, Department of Transportation Bureau of Parking says “It is more than just an upgrade of meters, it is a faster, friendlier, more cost effective and smarter way of managing New York’s vehicle to pedestrian mode shift.” In New York’s case, it not only replaces 50,000 single space meters with multi-space meters commonly known as “Muni Meter 2.0”, it also includes software upgrades, hardware upgrades, and complete redesign of the collection and maintenance processes. The city has set a goal to deliver a system with 99% operability. While the project is only getting started, the city is already achieving a system wide operability of 91%. The bureau also has many other tests planned including magnetometer, microwave and CCTV occupancy vehicle detection, alternative payment methods like in-vehicle meters and mobile payments and how the new infrastructure and the data it generates is supported and consumed by the public.

Have to keep an eye on the Big Apple. When they make changes, they do so in a big way.

JVH