A recent New York Times article reports that after 60 years of service, New York City is removing its traditional single space parking meter from sidewalks and replacing them with solar-powered box meters. These new box meters can handle eight parking spaces at once and can shut themselves down on free parking days. A Wi-Fi connection in the meters enables the city to remotely set special parking rates and times. The meters also read credit cards, speak seven languages, and require less maintenance.
The new meters will cost the city $34 million but they afford the city the opportunity to get more revenue than it did from traditional coin meters. These include a button for drivers to automatically pay for the maximum allowable time. In addition, drivers will not be able to use left-over paid meter time from a previously parked car. The meters also are less susceptible to thievery.
And are you looking for a unique living room decoration? The Times reports that the city intends to publicly auction off its old meters next year.
