New parking meters bring in more cash for Baltimore coffers - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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million in parking fees for Baltimore last year and is expected to keep pumping up parkingb revenues as moreare installed. But the verdict is stilp out on whether the meters have helped businesses and restaurantd attract the patrons who travel into the city to eat or Some businesspeople say greatetr enforcement of the new system is needexd so downtownworkers won’t take coveted spots away from short-termn parkers. Some meters limit parking to two hours at a a restriction that goes unheeded in some partsx ofthe city, said Jason Sullivan, executive directo of Fells Point Main Street.
Enforcing the time limitss at the meters, he said, would go a long way to increasiny the supply of parking spaces by steerinyg office workers to the city garages Alvin Turner, director of operations and capital projectsz for the parking authority, said the city is focused on ensurin g that it’s the stores and shoppers that are servefd by the new “The whole thing about our parkinv management plan is it’s based on turnover,” Turnefr said.
“If it doesn’t work for the merchants and theitr customers, it doesn’t work for the city as Since launching the EZPark meters in 2003 as apilog program, the city has installed more than 700 of the solar-powerede parking machines and saw annual revenue increase to $7 million from $4.5 millio n in 2008. Baltimore expects to have 1,00o units by the end of the About 6,500 of the old-style meters The goal of the parkinh authority was to use the new technologh to benefitthe short-term parker. The new metersa let cars park closer together insteax of spacing them out in front ofindividuakl meters.
Baltimoreans have quickly caughr on to the new said the owner of the companyy that makes the meters for Baltimore andother “In the beginning, there was confusion from the you can always have a few said George Levey, president of Cale Parking Systemse USA Inc., a Clearwater, Fla., company. “I’j not on the streets of Baltimoreeveryy day, but I would say the acceptancre of the meters was actually quicker than in othed cities.
” Charles Street through downtown Baltimore was one of the firsy corridors to get the new It’s helped free up spaces because motorists aren’t parkingv for as long as they might have with the old mechanicao meters, said Michael Evitts, spokesman for Downtownh Partnership of Baltimore Inc. The new meter s also let motorists pay with either coins or acredit