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PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y.—The village is considering the installation of new parking meters to generate revenue and present motorists with more payment options.
The meters would accept all major credit cards and 14 coins, said Barry Davis, the IPS Group Inc. director of regional sales.
The solar-powered meters will carry a backup battery and LED indicators powerful enough to alert law enforcement up to a block away if time has expired or if there is a problem. The meters can recognize a coin jam. Each meter has a 10-year guarantee.
While the meters display parking times and restrictions, they can also present advertisements.
In order to fund the installation of the new meters, parking rates would need to increase, Davis said. Currently, Pleasantville meters cost 50 cents an hour. Davis said the rate would have to be raised to at least 75 cents an hour and up to a dollar an hour. Credit card payments come with a $1 charge regardless of the length of stay.
Pleasantville would also need a third-party service to handle credit card transactions.
Board members are evaluating the new rates, but they expressed interest in the new meters.
“It puts us in a position where we’re leaning forward,” said Trustee Steven Lord. “Even if it’s on a partial basis or only in certain areas, it shows we’re thinking of ways to make life a little easier.”
For the municipal lot, village officials are discussing the installation of pay-and-display machines that would allow users to input their license plate numbers and get billed later. These IPS products would not be available for trial for another 10 weeks.
Officials also have the option of installing sensors in parking spaces to prevent drivers from parking without paying. The sensors reset the meters to zero when a car leaves. Installing each sensor would cost about $300, and each battery would have to be replaced every three years.
IPS has installed 500 meters in New Rochelle and in cities such as Los Angeles and Boston.
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