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Beverly Hills Says “YES” to Credit Cards atMeters from Page 14


on the street to check for acceptance. We have 2,300 installed now and look to have 2,700 when the project is complete. “We can change the rates from


our central headquarters,” McCall said, “and if the meters are swapped out for maintenance, the rates stay with the new meter head installed. There is an RFID tag in the housing, and the information about that meter location is set to that tag number. When a new head is installed, it sens- es the space number and then down- loads the specific rate parameters for that space.” The system has features that


allow it to charge only when the city charges for parking, McCall added. For instance, assume it normally charges from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and free the rest of the time. If a person putsmoney on themeter at 7 a.m., it will escrow that payment and start charging only at 8 a.m. “It’s great for a person who has


an early meeting,” McCall noted. “The reverse is true. It will accept payment only up to the cutoff time. If there is no parking until a certain time, then paymentwill not be accept- ed until that time. “Let’s face it, people just don’t


read signs. They see a meter and they putmoney in it.We have people from all over the world visiting Beverly Hills. They see a meter, they pay. Having the meter tell them when to pay is helpful.” Vandalism? It’s down with the


new meters, Lynn said; however, the rate is usually set by the type of city. “We are contracted to monitor the meters for the city of West Holly- wood, just across the street from us to the east.They have a lower vandalism rate than we do. There aren’t as many visitors on a daily basis. “We (in Beverly Hills) have a


population of about 35,000 but have nearly 100,000 people visit every day. Lots of visitors mean lots of new people who may not follow the rules,” he said. “People knowthere is no or not asmuchmoney in themeter.


Beverly Hill’s Parking Technical Supervisor SteveMartuez inserts a newmeter head with a credit card reader in an existing housing.


“We are told we will have to replace the battery every five


Plus,we are notified of any vandalismimmediately on ourBlack- Berrys and can dispatch someone to the area. “We were getting a lot of repair calls that ‘fixed’ themselves


by the time we got there.We asked the supplier to install a 2- minute delay before rechecking and then reporting a problem. It greatly cut down on these issues.


16 FEBRUARY 2010 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


years or so – the meter will tell us when the battery is low. It’s charged by a solar panel in eachmeter.” Time will tell the tale, said Lynn. “At first blush, this was a good decision for the city, and for our residents and visitors.”


IPS Group, Parking & Telecommunications, provided the city of Beverly Hills with the meters that accept credit cards. For more information, go to www.ipsgroupinc.com.


PT


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