COLUMBUS, Ohio — Beginning next month, the City of Columbus will begin replacing parking meters with new pay-by-plate kiosks.
The city says this will modernize and streamline the payment process. Mobile payments using the ParkColumbus app will still be available as well.
The Division of Parking Services will begin meter removal on May 3 in the Brewery District, then move north through downtown, the Short North Arts District and the University District.
The city says mobile payment and the kiosks will completely replace meter payment by the end of May, except for a limited number of handicapped-accessible meters and 30-minute meters.
“The City of Columbus continues to enhance the customer experience for on-street parking by adding greater convenience with better technology tools,” said Jennifer L. Gallagher, Director of the Department of Public Service. “A modernized system supports equitable access and turnover as our city—and curb lane demand—keep growing.”
The city says the kiosks will offer a simpler way to pay than meters. After parking, customers can identify their mobile pay zone using streets signs where they parked, walk to the nearest kiosk, enter their license plate number and pay using a card or coins.
The new system will open up more parking spaces and simplify parking zone numbers, according to the city. Existing zones will be consolidated into fewer larger parking zones.
“For the City of Columbus, streamlining parking payment will require less maintenance, greater efficiency, and enable quick and accurate license plate recognition (LRP) enforcement to encourage access and turnover,” said Robert Ferrin, Assistant Director of Parking Services.
With the kiosks, no changes are occurring in parking rates, time limits or hours of enforcement.
For the remaining 30-minute meters, the Short North rate will change to $1.50 per hour (75 cents for 30 minutes), to align with all other districts’ 30-minute rate.
To help transition to the new system, the city says parking services will have street teams at events like the Pearl Market downtown, the Short North Gallery Hop and more for assistance.