Lindy Dobbins/WTHR
Indianapolis – Change is coming, or leaving Indianapolis, depending on how you look at it. The arrival of 1,250 modernized parking meters around downtown, along Massachusetts Avenue, and throughout Broad Ripple will bring an end to time spent digging through pockets and purses for nickels and dimes.
"We're going to be implementing new technology over the course of the next several months," said Matt Darst, a representative of the ParkIndy team, "and we're going to be doing this in three phases to bring new convenience and environmentally-friendly technology to Indianapolis."
ParkIndy says the new solar-powered meters will be as easy as one, two and three. Users will first insert their credit or debit card, second select the amount of time they would like to put on the meter, and third press the button titled, "ok." The meters max out at two hours but users may return to their vehicle to add time as necessary.
See instructions here.
"I think it's actually a good idea," said Larry Grau who works downtown. "As a person scrambling to find change just today, credit cards would be great."
With the added convenience; though, come new fees as well as longer hours of operation. The modernized meters will be monitored Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. and the rates will jump from $0.75 per hour to $1 and eventually $1.50 in some areas.
"That's not good," said Annie Kern who shops on Massachusetts Avenue. "Because you think about that when you come downtown."
While many continue to be concerned about the rates and hours that accompany the restructured meters, some remain optimistic about the contribution the extra cash will bring to the city.
"Extending the hours until 9 p.m. allows the city to capture some more revenues," said Secretary of the Broad Ripple Village Association, Elizabeth Marshall. "We've been promised that some of these revenues would be spent on infrastructure in Broad Ripple and so we're looking forward to that."
The new meters are part of a 50-year lease the city signed with Dallas-based ACS to manage parking. The city will get $20 million up front and share of future parking revenue. The mayor has said all money will go to infrastructure improvements in the metered areas, such as street and sidewalk repairs.
The cash is expected to start rolling in on March 28, when the new rates take effect. The ease of a credit card option is expected to compel more users to pay for their parking which would prevent the parking enforcers from issuing so many little pink parking tickets.
"I think that the convenience of the credit card will drive revenues most definitely," Darst said. "So many times when you park and you only have a quarter in your pocket and you can't pay for the amount of time that you want to stay and you're taking the risk for the violation. Now you have a credit card you can pay for that full hour or two hours."
Meter installation will start downtown on Massachusetts and Capital Avenues and continue down New York, Alabama and Maryland Streets. In Broad Ripple, the meters will pop up on portions of College, Guilford, and Broad Ripple Avenues. ParkIndy is realistic that this installment will take time and hopes to make the transition as easy as possible. As users familiarize themselves with the new meters, no parking tickets will be issued.
See a map of downtown streets with parking meters.
"People will look at warnings initially," Darst said. "A lot of this is about communicating to people the changes… We need to make sure initially that people understand that these rate changes and these changes in hours, especially, have occurred."
