Saturday, February 23, 2013

Media Parking Now Takes Credit Cards!

New meter on State St.
Media Borough Council had a great opportunity to upgrade and improve State Street by removing the current parking meters and replacing them with parking meter kiosks. Not only are these kiosks becoming more and more popular in areas like Philadelphia and beach communities, but also feature parking statistics, more payment options and scalable technology that is proving effective in the constant battle with parking congestion.

 Anyway, what they did do is upgrade the current parking meters on State Street between Monroe and Orange with the hardware to accept credit cards.  So how do they work?  That's a good question as borough council failed to make an announcement and overview of this new feature on their Award Winning Website, the $15,000 one.  They should have also had stickers on these meters to let people know that parking is free on the weekends.

 So, here's how they operate:
  1. First, select which parking space (options: left side, right side)
  2. Insert coins, or proceed to step 3 for credit card payment.
  3. Press the green button to select time.  There is only one selection (3hrs for $2).  
  4. Swipe your card
  5. Wait for display notification on top of meter.
  6. Verify 3 hours had been allocated.
Here are a few FAQ's
  • Is there a receipt?  No, there are no printouts.
  • Can I still use coins?  Yes
  • Can I pay via my smart phone?  No
  • Will I have to pay on weekends?  No, Saturday and Sunday's are free
  • Will all of Media have this credit card payment feature?  Research is still being gathered.
  • How long does it take to pay via Credit Card? Less than 20 seconds.
  • What cards does it take?  Visa, Master Card and Borough Park card. (Not sure about Amex and others)
  • Where can I get a borough parking card.  There's a one-time purchase fee of $2 to get a card and they have them at borough hall.  You can add credit to the card as needed.
  • Can I pay for longer or shorter times than 3 hours? No, when paying with a credit card you get one option (3hrs for $2)




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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2013 at 10:28 PM

    It is obviously borough council's fault.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2013 at 6:36 AM

    Good start. Now we need to get the whole borough done this way!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michael JordanFebruary 24, 2013 at 6:52 AM

    Get explanation of the process, Tedman. I like the idea of stickers saying "Free Parking" on weekends. Another great reason to come to Media.
    And who doesn't like a deal--and worry free parking.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bobra WilbanksFebruary 27, 2013 at 8:05 AM

    Thank you so much for providing a detailed instruction on how to use the meters. There is a plate in the inside back window stating the enforced days and hours. Being able to accept credit cards has made the conventional parking meter more convenient for users than a kiosk, which requires a lot of walking (you either have to walk back to the car to put the receipt on the dash, or you have to remember your space number to enter it into the kiosk when paying). The 2-space meters (left-right) actually saved the Borough a lot of money vs. two complete meters.

    I would add one item to your FAQ's: If you pay with your prepaid smart card and return to the meter to find leftover time, you can re-insert your card to refund the leftover time to the card. Kiosks won't do that, nor will coins nor credit cards. :)

    ReplyDelete

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