The city Department of Transportation installed the first of Seattle’s new “###smart” parking meters Monday in an effort to improve motorists’ experience with the city’s pay stations.
One of the biggest changes to city parking comes in the form of dynamic “time-of-day” parking prices that will change depending on hourly parking demand. Meter users will see the different hourly rates listed on the screen.
SDOT sets on-street parking rates and hours of operation based on occupancy data to achieve a goal of one to two available spaces per block, the agency says.
It also promises faster credit card transactions and the agency says users will maintain control of their cards to prevent them from sticking inside the machines.
The new parking meters will hit Capitol Hill, Chinatown-ID, Commercial Core and South Lake Union this year. The neighborhoods receiving the machines in 2016 will be: Ballard, Ballard Locks, Belltown, 12th Avenue, Cherry Hill, Denny Triangle, First Hill, Fremont, Green Lake, Pike-Pine, Roosevelt, University District, Uptown, Uptown Triangle, Westlake Avenue North.