Say goodbye to those moments spent scrambling around the car looking for spare change, parking in Kelowna is about to get a whole lot easier with the introduction of 60 new parking pay stations this year.
“These new, pay-by-licence-plate machines are smaller than those installed in recent years but will operate the same way,” said Dave Duncan, the City of Kelowna’s parking services manager.
“Users can pay by cash or credit card (insert or tap) and top up their parking from any other pay station in the area, up to the maximum time allowed,” he said.
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The pay stations will replace around one-third of the 900 on-street, coin-only meters in the downtown area as part of a multi-year renewal program for the equipment that has reached the end of its life. A total of $415,000 will be spent in 2019 to replace the meters, complete repairs in parking lots and renew parking management equipment.
In two years time, all coin-only meters should be replaced by the new pay stations, pending budget approval.
“We’ve accelerated installation of these pay stations as a result of ongoing vandalism of single coin meters, which has resulted in over $50,000 in damage this year,” Duncan said. “The new pay stations also decrease overall clutter on sidewalks, can allow for more cars to park on-street, and do not require users to display the receipt on their dash.”
The new payment systems feature real-time communication allowing staff to search for transactions and respond to issues quickly and effectively, improving customer service.
The new pay stations are expected to be in operation by the end of the month. The PayByPhone mobile app option will be able to be used in all available areas, including the new stations.
