Three companies are currently carrying out smart parking pilots in five areas across the city
The city of Milwaukee announced plans to replace old parking meters with new smart parking meters, which will allow authorities to implement different parking rates, the local CBS affiliate reports. The city currently has approximately 7,000 meters across the city.
“So compared to the old days when we had to go out to change plates and update the mechanism, we can now just simply remotely with the push of a button, update those meters to reflect a different restriction or a different rate,” Tom Woznick, Milwaukee’s Parking Operations Manager, said.
The new smart meters also send real-time information and city authorities are alerted if any of the smart meters stop working. Meters also have embedded sensors which provide data to know which parking spots are occupied and for how long. This kind of information can be used to adjust parking rates based on demand.
“We want the spaces to be occupied and we also want there to be turnover so if you’re driving downtown or in whatever area you’re going, you can find a spot,” Woznick added.
Milwaukee-based CivicSmart is currently involved in a smart meter trial which will allow city authorities to select the company, which will provide the new meters, according to the report.
The city is testing smart meters from three companies and the trial is currently taking place in five areas: Broadway in the Third Ward, Old World Third Street, Brady Street, North Avenue, and an area at Oakland and Locust.
The city said that the new smart meters should accept various forms of payment including coins, debit or credit cards as well as payment through a mobile app dubbed MKE Park.
Each smart meter costs between $250 and $500. The city’s parking meters brought in $5.2 million in revenue over the last two years, according to the report.
