Beginning in March, two downtown parking lots will be upgraded from single meters to one pay station for a six month-long trial study, according to a press release from the City of Bloomington.
“They’re 40 years old and need upgraded,” Director of Parking Services Michelle Wahl said.
The pay stations will be located in the parking lot at Fourth and Dunn streets and the other at Fourth and Washington streets.
Wahl said the parking lots currently have meters at every spot, so people either swipe their card or put in change.
The project will cost $50,000, according to a 2018 Downtown Area Parking Study. The Fourth and Dunn streets lot has 54 spaces, and the Fourth and Washington streets lot has 75 spaces.
The trial was created after recommendations in the 2018 study, which was conducted to improve the customer experience, efficiency and convenience of downtown parking, according to the city’s website. Those who use the pay stations will be asked to fill out a survey about their experience, which can be accessed by a QR code at the pay station. The survey will help determine whether or not to continue using the pay stations in these lots and others around the city.
Wahl said around 2013-14 pay kiosks were installed in some lots around the city, and people had to display their receipt in their windshield. By upgrading the meters and current kiosks, people won’t have to return to their car after paying to park. It will work similarly to how the meters and kiosks work now. People pay by putting in their license plate number and payment information. Everyone in the parking lot will be able to use the same system to pay for parking.
According to the study, there isn’t a shortage of parking in Bloomington in general, but parking becomes difficult and strained in some areas with heavier traffic, especially between Third and Sixth streets.
The hours of enforcement will stay the same, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, according to the city’s website. The stations will accept coins, cards, Google and Apple pay, and people can continue using the ParkMobile app on their phones.
Fees will continue to be $1 an hour. There will be a convenience fee of $.30 when using a debit or credit card and a fee varying from $.40 to $.50 when using ParkMobile.
