Parking meters get little tracking

 

Cleveland can't tell how much most make

Monday, August 21, 2006

Susan Vinella

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Park on almost any street in downtown Cleveland, and a parking meter greets you, hungry for quarters. More than 2,000 meters line the downtown streets, most demanding 75 cents to park for an hour. Stay too long and a bright yellow ticket appears on your windshield. That will be $25, please. Visitors grumble that meters are simply money-makers for the city: Last year, Cleveland collected $1.6 million from parking meters. But city officials say their main purpose is to force turnover, which helps businesses that need convenient, short-term parking for customers.

 

www.plaindealer.com

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-5010

 

The PD published a companion table detailing some regional cities' meter information - number of meters, number of tickets issued, revenue from tickets, revenue from fares, etc, in 2005.

 

The 8 cities were:  Cleveland, Akron, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapoilis, Louisville and Pittsburgh.  I massaged the numbers and found:

 

Cleveland ranked third among these cities in number of tickets per meter, with 29.4, and third among ticket revenue collected per meter.  We also are third in fare revenue per meter, collecting $633 per meter, behing Louisville at $721 and Pittsburgh at $636.  Our total revenues per meter are $1,180, second to Columbus by $3.

yea that table was confusing, i was looking at it thinking that it didnt seem like cleveland was that bad.  i was more interested in the last part of the article with the installation of one meter that printed out the time someone paid to park there to put on their dashboard.  seems like itd be easier to maintain.

Hmm, 10 years later and the city's public parking finances are still a mess. Totally pathetic that city-owned parking is actually an expense, not a revenue source.

 

Cavs, Indians fans will pay more to park at Gateway garage

http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2015/12/cavs_indians_fans_will_pay_mor.html#incart_related_stories

 

...the city's parking department has been "running into the red," leaving the general fund to subsidize parking lot and meter maintenance for the past several years.

 

The article mentions that meter rates will increase to $1.00 an hour, though looks like that already happened last June, so unclear if on-street rates are actually increasing further. In any case, it makes no sense to have a uniform meter rate downtown and, in prime areas, for it to be lower than garage rates. Time to join the modern world and add some variable-pricing. A cheap downtown meter is useless to a vast majority of people if it is always full. 

Why does Cleveland still have meters?? ParkMobile is quite convenient but I guess allowing people to add more money to the meter would reduce the number of tickets they can hand out.

^The infrastructure desperately needs to be modernized if the city still relies on individual space meters. That said, allowing people to add to meters cuts against one of their express purposes: turnover. At least in downtown (and similar areas), metered parking is intended to be short term, serving customers, not workers. On the other hand, pricing might be a better tool than hard time limits to serve that purpose. If prime spots are priced at, say, $5/hour, it would promote turnover, increase revenue, and ensure a lower occupancy rate during peak times (which is what businesses should want).

I think the rate of $1.00 per hour to park downtown is still way too low. I was just in Pittsburgh and it was $3.00 per hour, which I didn't think was unreasonable. They also had parking meters that allowed credit card payment as well as mobile payment. It's pitiful that downtown Cleveland still uses coin operated meters. Even Toledo's parking meters accept credit cards. I haven't seen a study, but I imagine a city could increase its revenue with more targeted enforcement using smart parking meters as well as the fact that there wouldn't be roll over time from one user to the next there is with coin meters.

Instead of individual electronic meters that accept cards there are the kiosks where you take a printed ticket and place on your dash.

 

Just curious, the  electrometers in Toledo, were they along a street that had recently been redone, where the infrastructure for the meters could have been placed at the time of road construction?

Instead of individual electronic meters that accept cards there are the kiosks where you take a printed ticket and place on your dash.

 

Just curious, the  electrometers in Toledo, were they along a street that had recently been redone, where the infrastructure for the meters could have been placed at the time of road construction?

 

Regarding Toledo, I don't think so. It looked like the top part of the meter was just replaced with an electronic component. The base was older looking infrastructure.

 

And yeah, a lot of cities have kiosks that give printed tickets, but in Pittsburgh and Detroit, they have you enter your license plate number and that is how it is tracked by parking enforcement. This also allows you to park anywhere in the particular zone and not just one spot.

Instead of individual electronic meters that accept cards there are the kiosks where you take a printed ticket and place on your dash.

 

Just curious, the  electrometers in Toledo, were they along a street that had recently been redone, where the infrastructure for the meters could have been placed at the time of road construction?

 

We do have those  kiosks on West 6th (just north of St Clair  :wtf:).    I wonder why they haven't spread further?

Instead of individual electronic meters that accept cards there are the kiosks where you take a printed ticket and place on your dash.

 

Just curious, the  electrometers in Toledo, were they along a street that had recently been redone, where the infrastructure for the meters could have been placed at the time of road construction?

 

We do have those  kiosks on West 6th (just north of St Clair  :wtf:).    I wonder why they haven't spread further?

 

The did a pilot program with them on Chester back in 2013. I don't know what came of that though.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/08/cleveland_tests_new_downtown_p.html

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20130829/FREE/130829740/digital-parking-meters-are-coming-to-cleveland

 

Edit: Never mind, they were just regular credit card meters

Good god, they had to do a pilot for simple technology that other cities have been using for several years now?

 

Raising rates obviously helps on the revenue side, but the other part of operating in the red is the cost side. It's just totally nuts to think that the city maintains thousands of individual meters and still sends people out regularly to visit each one and empty out all those dimes and quarters. This seems like such low hanging fruit for balancing a budget...

Good god, they had to do a pilot for simple technology that other cities have been using for several years now?

 

Raising rates obviously helps on the revenue side, but the other part of operating in the red is the cost side. It's just totally nuts to think that the city maintains thousands of individual meters and still sends people out regularly to visit each one and empty out all those dimes and quarters. This seems like such low hanging fruit for balancing a budget...

 

If I'm not mistaken even the kiosks take cash (though it would be one stop for collection on the block rather than dozens....)

^For sure, but one stop collection; fewer things to maintain and monitor; accepts bills; and has a larger cash drawer, so probably doesn't need to be emptied any more often. Have to believe the operational efficiencies are substantial.

Instead of individual electronic meters that accept cards there are the kiosks where you take a printed ticket and place on your dash.

 

Just curious, the  electrometers in Toledo, were they along a street that had recently been redone, where the infrastructure for the meters could have been placed at the time of road construction?

 

We do have those  kiosks on West 6th (just north of St Clair  :wtf:).    I wonder why they haven't spread further?

 

Kiosks are also on East 12th between St. Clair and Lakeside, near the public utilities building.  I do wish they would install them in more places.  They are convenient to use, but I'll also say the city needs to keep them up.  I know for a fact they let the one on the east side of 12th street remain broke for months, with just a piece of paper on it telling you to cross to the west side of the street to pay. 

In my reply I meant to say we had them to. The only other place I've seen them is on 12th.

 

And to answer your question about why they haven't sprrad... probably because the parking department is subsidized by the general fund and there's no money to buy and install new! Lol.

Well, they could pay for it with some of the multiple parking tickets my partner gets due to not being able to add more money/2 hour limits due to being in court lol.

I would argue to make street parking free, but with time constraints.

 

Anything to devalue the large surface lots.

Well, they could pay for it with some of the multiple parking tickets my partner gets due to not being able to add more money/2 hour limits due to being in court lol.

 

That's what lots are for.  The meters are for quick stops.

Well, they could pay for it with some of the multiple parking tickets my partner gets due to not being able to add more money/2 hour limits due to being in court lol.

 

That's what lots are for.  The meters are for quick stops.

Well, you know that and I know that..........lol. I've tried telling him, but I guess he doesn't mind paying the fines.

OMG, the fact that Cleveland still has coin-operated parking meters shows how far behind the city is in simply taking care of the little things, let alone big-picture stuff......

 

Councilman Kerry McCormack studying app technology as a way to improve downtown parking: Cleveland City Council summer recess

https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2018/08/councilman_kerry_mccormack_stu.html

I was in Cleveland recently, and the lack of anything but coin operated meters was surprising.

OMG, the fact that Cleveland still has coin-operated parking meters shows how far behind the city is in simply taking care of the little things, let alone big-picture stuff......

 

Councilman Kerry McCormack studying app technology as a way to improve downtown parking: Cleveland City Council summer recess

https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2018/08/councilman_kerry_mccormack_stu.html

 

Lots of patronage jobs tied to those meters.  Collecting change, servicing them, etc. 

I'm glad Kerry is doing this, but why does it take a councilman to do this kind of thing? The city ran a pilot project involving mobile payment and credit card parking meters back in 2013, but I can't get an answer as to what happened to that (https://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/08/cleveland_tests_new_downtown_p.html). Doing this kind of "research" that Kerry is talking about should really be done by parking staff in Public Works. But when Michael Cox is your department director, I suppose you probably shouldn't expect much from that department.

The good idea:

 

 

The work around:

 

Cars with handicapped placards are exempt. A random check by the Washington Post said 2/3rds of the handicapped placards in downtown DC are phony. This concept will work anywhere.

MEDIA RELEASE  
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

 

CONTACT: 
Marie Zickefoose 
[email protected] 
 

Cleveland selects vendors for citywide smart parking system 

 

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 — Cleveland — Through a detailed RFP and review process, the City of Cleveland has selected Flowbird and ParkMobile, LLC to modernize its on-street parking system.  

 

Across the city, coin operated meters will be replaced with smart parking meters provided by Flowbird. A new mobile parking payment service platform, operated by ParkMobile, will allow customers to pay for their parking through an app, text message, or by scanning a QR code. 

 

“This project will provide more convenient and accessible parking options for all who spend time in Cleveland’s commercial and cultural centers,” said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “Smart parking is a significant step towards my administration’s vision to modernize operations across the city.”  

 

The new system of parking will be a seamless network of single-space and multi-space smart, credit card enabled meters and kiosks. An estimated 600 multi-space meters and 100 single space meters will be installed across downtown and in neighborhoods on both the east and west sides of the city. 

 

The total estimated cost of the project will be just over $5 million including the cost of equipment, software, and tools for monitoring. 

 

“This investment in our city will improve the parking experience for residents and visitors as well as help us improve our efficiency in enforcement,” said Chief Operating Officer Bonnie Teeuwen. “We expect to see an increase in revenue through better enforcement as well as additional payment options that smart meters will offer users.” 

 

In the coming weeks, the Bibb administration will put forth legislation to Cleveland City Council for approval of the contracts with Flowbird and ParkMobile. After passing through council, the contracts will require administrative approval from the Consultant Review Committee and the Board of Control. 

 

It is estimated that both the software and equipment will be ready for public use within six months of the agreements being signed.    

 

### 

I hope you can still use coinage to pay to park.  Does everything we do these days need to be tied to our credit card or an online account?  If so, the real money in these meters won't be in the fees, it will be in the tracking data it enables.

I can't believe in 2023 that Cleveland still doesn't take credit card at meters or at least a pay box.  I mean, this is pretty standard stuff:

 

2 hours ago, X said:

I hope you can still use coinage to pay to park.  Does everything we do these days need to be tied to our credit card or an online account?  If so, the real money in these meters won't be in the fees, it will be in the tracking data it enables.

And I assume the next person parking at a meter doesn't get credit for any time that might be remaining on the meter, which means more money for the city.

On 3/16/2023 at 1:38 PM, LibertyBlvd said:

And I assume the next person parking at a meter doesn't get credit for any time that might be remaining on the meter, which means more money for the city.

 

Even worse (assuming it will be the same as in Columbus - also ParkMobile) the minimum amount of time you can buy in the app is 30 minutes

 

Meaning no more being able to just pop a nickel in and be quick, even a 5 minute stop costs 75 cents - and the time you paid for is wasted as no one else can use it (tied to your license plate)

 

Edited March 17, 20232 yr by NW24HX

On 3/16/2023 at 11:45 AM, ColDayMan said:

I can't believe in 2023 that Cleveland still doesn't take credit card at meters or at least a pay box.  I mean, this is pretty standard stuff:

 

 

I don't mind credit cards AT the meter to pay for a meter, but I hate the pay boxes down the block. Especially if its in the opposite direction of where you need to go after parking. I also hope the new meters take coins, but i bet they won't....but does that mean you can't park on city streets unless you have a credit card?

Parkmobile runs the meters in Lakewood too. They all take coins and credit cards and your first 30 minutes are free. Not sure if the 30 mins will be free here since it’s a city meter and not a suburb.

17 minutes ago, ProspectAve said:

 

I don't mind credit cards AT the meter to pay for a meter, but I hate the pay boxes down the block. Especially if its in the opposite direction of where you need to go after parking. I also hope the new meters take coins, but i bet they won't....but does that mean you can't park on city streets unless you have a credit card?

Why do you think they won’t take coins?

3 minutes ago, WindyBuckeye said:

Why do you think they won’t take coins?

 

that seems to be the latest trend, along with the reduced use of cash in general for everything.  And the government, banks, retailers, and tech companies love it as they can track people and understand buying habits better and know exactly who they are. So don't be surprised if there is a lot of pressure to make them coinless. If the decision makers at the city aren't strong enough and smart enough, they will be steamrolled by the larger forces to make them coinless.

Ok so just guessing. We will see but I’d guess they follow the Lakewood model.

Edited March 18, 20232 yr by WindyBuckeye

10 minutes ago, WindyBuckeye said:

Ok so just guessing. We will see but I’d guess they follow the Lakewood model.

 

What did Lakewood do? I'm not familiar with it.

13 minutes ago, ProspectAve said:

 

What did Lakewood do? I'm not familiar with it.

They use Parkmobile and still take coins as well with first 30 minutes free.

4 hours ago, WindyBuckeye said:

Parkmobile runs the meters in Lakewood too. They all take coins and credit cards and your first 30 minutes are free. Not sure if the 30 mins will be free here since it’s a city meter and not a suburb.

I'm out in LA and in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, the meters take coins, card or an app.  It's really the best of all worlds.  

4 hours ago, ProspectAve said:

 

that seems to be the latest trend, along with the reduced use of cash in general for everything.  And the government, banks, retailers, and tech companies love it as they can track people and understand buying habits better and know exactly who they are. So don't be surprised if there is a lot of pressure to make them coinless. If the decision makers at the city aren't strong enough and smart enough, they will be steamrolled by the larger forces to make them coinless.

 

So what you're saying is that if they do take coins that you will have to admit the the decision makers at the city (I wonder if you're referencing anyone in particular here) are "strong enough and smart enough?"

5 hours ago, X said:

So what you're saying is that if they do take coins that you will have to admit the the decision makers at the city (I wonder if you're referencing anyone in particular here) are "strong enough and smart enough?"

 

Why the attacking tone?  I don't know who is running the procurement, so I'm not referencing any one person. I guess Bibb is the final stop, so he'd be included in my comment and from what we've seen recently doesn't give us a lot of confidence in doing or knowing whats best for the city (hurting development incentives via tax policies, trying to minimize the understaffed police department, promising transparency then ignoring to FOIA requests, etc.) But to answer your question, no. The acceptance of coins doesn't necessarily mean the decision makers did anything if the vendors would have offered that anyway. If the city gets three bids and all three include coins, that doesn't make any decision maker "strong enough and smart enough". If all three proposers say, $100M for no coins and $190M to include coins--or if one bidder says $100M for no coins and the other two say $190M to include coins--then the "strong enough and smart enough" element comes into play to do the right thing.  But ultimately, coins should be specified in the RFP--that's the place to make the requirement. If the Bibb administration handled this correctly--which I hope they did--they would require that the system accepts coins as well as credit cards.

 

On 3/18/2023 at 3:17 PM, Cleburger said:

I'm out in LA and in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, the meters take coins, card or an app.  It's really the best of all worlds.  

 

Honestly, most cities (in Ohio) do that.  I always use my parking app in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, or Toledo.

On 3/18/2023 at 9:52 PM, ProspectAve said:

 

Why the attacking tone?  I don't know who is running the procurement, so I'm not referencing any one person. I guess Bibb is the final stop, so he'd be included in my comment and from what we've seen recently doesn't give us a lot of confidence in doing or knowing whats best for the city (hurting development incentives via tax policies, trying to minimize the understaffed police department, promising transparency then ignoring to FOIA requests, etc.) But to answer your question, no. The acceptance of coins doesn't necessarily mean the decision makers did anything if the vendors would have offered that anyway. If the city gets three bids and all three include coins, that doesn't make any decision maker "strong enough and smart enough". If all three proposers say, $100M for no coins and $190M to include coins--or if one bidder says $100M for no coins and the other two say $190M to include coins--then the "strong enough and smart enough" element comes into play to do the right thing.  But ultimately, coins should be specified in the RFP--that's the place to make the requirement. If the Bibb administration handled this correctly--which I hope they did--they would require that the system accepts coins as well as credit cards.

 

The RFP is available to read here:

https://www.clevelandohio.gov/node/168570

 

Coin deposits are listed as a functional requirement. 

I'm just glad we now have a mayor that understands that paying for parking with dimes and quarters is archaic!  I'm certain visitors from out of town are shocked when they find out that coin only meters still exist.   

4 hours ago, Henke said:

The RFP is available to read here:

https://www.clevelandohio.gov/node/168570

 

Coin deposits are listed as a functional requirement. 

Smart leadership

19 minutes ago, WindyBuckeye said:

Smart leadership

 

"Smart Enough...Strong Enough"

Hey avid bikers ( @GISguy, @Lazarus and others) would you consider this a decent bike rack?

 

Before scrolling down I thought someone had just secured their bike to a parking meter. ("Free bike, just lift up") More seriously though, this seems like a great idea to me! Cheap way to add bike parking almost anywhere.

 

Here's what I consider the most important quote from the article: "The units are secured using shear-bolts, which are bolts which lose their wrench-shaped heads at a specific torque, leaving behind a smooth, conical head that cannot be turned." These will be secure, and thus a great idea!

1 hour ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

Hey avid bikers ( @GISguy, @Lazarus and others) would you consider this a decent bike rack?

 

 

I've used these before in other cities and it's a really nice thing to have. My biggest concern is the ability to feed a U lock through by back triangle and wheel and it looks possible so that's totally a win in my book. 

more info on the new parking meters

 

My parking tickets are way down by using the app and extending my time remotely.