SPOKANE, Wash. — While driving through downtown, you might see some new parking meters.
The City of Spokane Parking Services started phase two of their parking meter replacement.
They are for single and dual-space on-street parking spaces. The meters are just some of the hundreds of parking meters that the city is installing. The city says they hope the new devices create a better parking experience for their customers.
"To make parking easy and accessible, so that's the whole idea. With these new devices and different ways they work it allows up to make a better and more efficient system," said Kirstin Davis, the communications manager for the City of Spokane.
Phase one, which replaced parking meters from Monroe to Washington Street, was completed earlier this year.
Phase two includes installing new parking meters East of Washington to Division.
The new meters give people three ways to pay: coins, credit or debit cards and through a mobile app.
The old meters only had a coin and mobile payment available.
"I downloaded the app quite a while ago. I have found it to be very simple and I love that I don't have to carry cash with me anymore where I park," said Sam Odoherty, who has used the new meters since the summer. "I just open up the app, it's very self-explanatory, and very easy to use."
The new meters will have more information available to drivers.
The display will show time status, reservation information, and payment instructions.
ParkMobile is replacing the old parking app, Passport.
Mobile app payments require a minimum charge of $1.20.
Johanna Croberts, who used the new meter for the first time, said, "It was actually pretty easy, it was just with my apple pay. I was able to pay really quickly."
The meters will also be color coded for better visibility.
Two-hour meters will be purple, four-hour meters blue, and all-day meters green.
With the bright colors, the city hopes people can see when spots are empty.
The city says there will be a combination of new devices and old meters through the on-street paid area for a few years.
New meters will be concentrated to the downtown core and old meters will be in the outer portions of the paid parking area.
Disabled parking permits allow for free faring up to a maximum of four hours regardless of time stay limits.
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