Downtown parking in the State College borough will see a change as new smart meters are set to be installed along College Avenue this week.
Twenty meters, along with a multi-space kiosk that accepts credit card payment, will give visitors downtown the opportunity to park without needing physical money, a borough news release said. The 90-day trial will assist the parking department in “determining the types of meters that work best in specific locations within downtown State College.”
The smart meters, provided by IPS Group Inc., of San Diego, will accept payment with credit or debit cards as well as coins, the release said, while the multi-space kiosks offer payment with cash. Implementation of smart meters in other college towns has allowed for operational savings and revenue growth.
The trial is in line with the borough’s goal of making downtown parking easier, the release said. The borough has previously installed off-street parking kiosks and allowed residents to use Parkmobile pay-by-phone technology to pay for both off- and on-street parking.