Politics & Government

New Downtown Parking Meters Take Drivers into the Digital Age

You'll be able to put money in your parking meter with your smart phone.

Just in time for the upcoming UGA football season, the Athens Clarke County Commission has approved the purchase of 510 high tech parking meters for downtown Athens. The county will spend $242,652 in SPLOST funds on the new gizmos.

No more parking for free at the broken or missing meters. Instead, you'll be able to pay for parking with coins, bills, credit cards, debit cards--or heck, even your smart phone. The pay-and-display machines that have bedeviled many people will be moved from Clayton to Broad street.

Mayor Nancy Denson reiterated at the ACC Commission meeting something said by Chuck Horton, parking director for the Athens Downtown Development Authority. The county has been losing $9,000 each month because of bad and broken meters.

And soon, officials hope, the booting problem--or lack of it--will be resolved.


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