New Parking Meters On Display
If you haven’t seen the new parking meters that are coming you can stop by the St Louis Traffic Violation Bureau at 229 N 7th St.
You can also use these at Laclede & Euclid, they accept coins & credit cards. If you have a smartphone (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry) you can also download a free app here or use the web app here. Note that a small convenience fee will apply if using the app.
— Steve Patterson
But wait, the app doesn’t use Apple Pay, just VISA checkout (now), and PayPal and the vendor’s proprietary Parkmobile Wallet (in the future)! I think that I’ll just stick with coins (and avoid the “convenience” fee and any hassles with billing “errors”) . . .
The app rep said they’re planning to add Apple Pay. I’m more interested in the optional NFC readers for the multi-space meters so Apple Pay/Google Wallet can be used. Still, the app is very convenient — hence the fee.
I spotted multi-space meters recently in Chicago. Got around Chicago using public transportation, which seems to be very popular with the locals. Almost everyone, including myself, purchase and use a prepaid card, aka Ventra, to ride buses and the trains, aka El.
Unfortunately, the multi-space meters in Chicago are a direct result of privatizing parking management in the city, and are widely disliked: http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/infrastructure-projects-p3-contracts-chicago-parking . . http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/04/city-state-governments-privatization-contracting-backlash/361016/ . . and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/chicago-parking-meter-privatization/
The pic above is a little dark but I’m pretty sure there is already one of these exact meters used on the east side of Broadway between Olive and Pine. I want to say it was put in 6-to-12 months ago during the phase they were trialing different electronic meter systems. It is still in use. I have off-street parking but a friend of mine used it very recently.