If you've ever had to get on your hands and knees in search of spare change under your car seats, you already know how frustrating parking meters can be. A new program hopes to make paying for your street-side spot a bit easier by allowing you to use your phone. Drivers will be able to use a special smartphone app, or even a text message, to pay for their time when the meters are tested on the crowded streets of New York City later this year.
The high-tech meters will require each driver to register for the new service online before being able to use the pay-by-phone feature. Once an individual is registered, they can park in one of the revamped meters and enter the meter ID number into a smartphone app, or simply shoot a text message with the information to a special number.
Similar meters have already been installed at locations in both Atlanta and Washington, but this will be the first time they are put to the test in New York. City parking officials hope that it will not only make things easier and faster for drivers, but also cut down on drivers who feed the meter past the limit in certain high-traffic areas. A date hasn't been set for when the new meters will be in place, but they are expected to be installed in the coming months.
