Paying to park is going high-tech: Milwaukee installs 3,700 new Smart meters

MILWAUKEE -- There are smartphones, smart cars -- and now, Smart parking meters.

The City of Milwaukee is installing new Smart parking meters. The meters will replace the current aging coin-only meters as well as the multi-space LUKE kiosks.

"They continue to take coins, American coins, but they also can take credit cards and debit cards and they also can use the MKE app," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

On Thursday, Aug. 2, Mayor Barrett, Alderman Bob Bauman and staff with the Department of Public Works unveiled the first of what will be 3,700 new parking meters installed across 7,000 of the city's parking spaces.

"The city's able to monitor what this meter is doing in real-time. If there's any mechanical difficulties, we get a signal to that effect -- so it can be quickly repaired," Bauman said.

DPW officials say the multi-space and coin-only meters have reached the end of their lives. The new meters are not only more advanced, they are $5 million less than the cost to replace the old ones. That is because the Smart meters can cover two spaces.

Drivers testing out the new technology had mixed reactions.

"They're kind of confusing because you don't know which one is the one that you're paying because there aren't arrows until the end," said Grisselle Serrano.

"It should be a good thing. The big terminal, I don't like walking a whole block to put money in the terminal," said Ashley Jones.

City leaders are confident once people get used to the change, paying to park in Milwaukee will at least be hassle-free.

"The state of parking meters is something that is constantly changing and with new technology, that's a good thing," said Barrett.

The meters will be phased in by location over the next two to three years. They will first be found in the central business district -- and next, the Historic Third Ward. The plan is to use them for a decade.