The New York City Department of Transportation is putting their muni where their mouth is: our meters are getting an upgrade.
The new muni-meters currently being rolled out citywide allow motorists to pre-pay for their parking one hour before meter regulations begin. In other words, if payment is required beginning at 9:00 am, a patron can purchase a receipt as early as 8:00 for paid parking beginning at 9:00 am onward. The convenience will prevent motorists from having to return to vehicles when the regulatory time begins. Motorists must observe all other parking regulations before meter hours begin.
So far, Borough Park, Park Slope, Downtown Brooklyn, East New York, Coney Island, Brooklyn College, Flatbush, Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, and Bedford-Stuyvesant have all gotten the upgraded meters, and the DOT estimates that all muni-meters citywide will be enhanced by mid-July.
Last summer, muni-meters were updated to deactivate automatically outside of regulatory hours, thereby disallowing New Yorkers from paying for parking unnecessarily. City Councilman David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) had introduced the legislation on both meter upgrades in 2013, and the city was given two years to implement the changes. Greenfield proposed other legislation earlier this year that would take muni-meters out of service when alternate-side parking is suspended due to banks of snow.
By Eugénie Bisulco
eugenie@theforumnewsgroup.com
