All they’ll need is a credit card or cell phone to pay and if they’re finding lunch is lasting a little longer than the hour than anticipated, they’ll be able to add additional time remotely.
Amherst Department of Public Works employees, Kevin Cody, left, and Tom Waterman, right, lift the new Duncan Solutions parking machine from the box to the curb. The new machines allow customers to pay with change, credit card or via cell phone.
AMHERST - In just a matter of days, visitors using some of the town lots won’t have to worry about having a fistful of change to buy their time.
All they’ll need is a credit card or cell phone to pay and if they’re finding lunch is lasting a little longer than the hour than anticipated, they’ll be able to add additional time remotely.
On Friday, the Department of Public Works crews were putting the new machines in place next to the old machines, so worn that the green button to eject the parking ticket is white.
And customers won’t even need the tickets to display anymore.
They’ll buy their time by plugging in the number of the space in which they are parking at the new pay by space machines and the time is logged. The visitor’s lot at the University of Massachusetts has that kind of system.
Kate Bohne, who lives downtown, likes that aspect. Getting a ticket and walking back to the car was an extra step. And of the machines in general, she said “I think that’s great. Everyone seems to be switching to increased technology with everything.”
Tim Murphy from Leverett said he doesn’t come downtown all that often and will likely keep using change when he does - yes the new machines take change as well. But he said, “if I don’t have any change, I’d used it.”
“We’re excited to be poised to implement more customer friendly parking machines,” Town Manager John P. Musante said in the spring when bringing the proposal to the Select Board for approval.
The new machines will be in operation in the town portion of the CVS lot, the Boltwood Walk Parking Garage, and the lot behind Town Hall.
The machines are expected to be installed at the Main Street and Amity Street lots at the end of August.
The system will allow the town to change the rates, time limits and parking hours for special events.
The machines are manufactured by the Milwaukee-based Duncan Solutions.
The initial phase is costing about $94,000, an expense is included in a capital budget funded by the transportation fund. The cost of the new systems is about $37,000 annually because of credit card transaction and secure network fees. But some of these costs will be offset with the increase in metered parking rates - they went up this summer from 40 to 50 cents an hour in lots and on the street. The new system also reduces maintenance costs.
The system is more customer friendly. Paying by credit card is more convenient, Musante said.
Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tony A. Maroulis has said the plan “is going a long way to get parking right in town.” He said the new system improves the visitor experience and makes sense of parking, which has long perplexed shopkeepers.