Pittsburgh's new multi-space parking meters debut next week!

[Quiet-T]

What are the nitty-gritty details of how this system works?

-What happens if a unit is broken?
--Can we use a machine across the street or does each unit correspond to a specific set of parking spaces?
--Will there be pavement markings to delineate the parking spaces?
---If there are not space markings then I foresee the possibility of lost spaces as large and small cars come and go leaving spaces that are unusable.

[BrianTH]

A recent article said you'll be able to use another machine if the nearest one is broken. I believe you could in principle use any machine in the system since it is all going through a central service, although I am not sure how that will work with different rate zones.

Generally street parking systems without marked spots lead to more, not less, spaces, because you don't need to have every space be able to fit the largest vehicles. Obviously people can muck that up in individual cases, but I believe that is a well-confirmed outcome on average.

[pman]

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