Becoming greener in order to ensure healthier urban environments for their citizens is the main concern for cities all around the world. Simply recycling isn’t enough anymore and people in the cities feel the need to transition to zero-emissions public transportation and extending use of renewable energy.
Why do we need to change the parking meters?
Despite of what many think, parking meters may become more efficient. The reality that most of the parking meters out there still only allow the customers to pay with change is highlighting the tremendous need of making a change in the that area.
Hunting high and low for some change to have on you when you plan to go in town is just some of the problem with the archaic parking meters.
On the other hand, a solar-powered parking meter eliminates the need to pay with change and most models out there take debit and credit cards. These smart parking meters also reset to zero when your car leaves as the devices are programmable. Some may even display “Free Parking” at appropriate times and change parking fees, demand-based pricing included. On top of everything else, they’re powered with solar energy.
One of the best examples in this department is Santa Monica (California) which stands out since replacing all of the 6,000 parking meters with solar-powered models. The city has become the green leader in their area and managed to pay for the whole upgrade in just one year. Motorists really like this type of parking meters as they’re able to pay for the maximum amount of time, with no worries whatsoever about feeding the meter.
What are solar powered parking meters?
The solar powered pay and display machines are a simple system that work for the on and off street car parking area. The machines come with many features and are fairly easy to use, winning more and more fans all over the world. They’re capable to increase the revenue, save money and time since their maintenance costs are rather low.
Most of the time, this type of machines doesn’t need people for checking them as they’re designed to be left unattended 24/7. They include several features that have a good impact on any business.
How do they work?
The pay and display machine is both elegant and modern choice for parking control. The machine is going to print a ticket that is durable and easy to read. The easy to read and large display on the machine offers easy to follow instructions to the user, helping them know exactly what they need to do for operating the machine in order to receive the ticket.
The ticket has to be displayed in the window for the user, but this doesn’t mean that a warden is needed for checking if the customer bought the ticket or not. An installation of a CCTV system can work together with the machines, helping you see if anybody isn’t paying for the ticket.
How to customize the pay and display meter?
One can easily customize the pay and display meter, providing various prices for special days or events. The message for the customers may be also changed. A machine is able to service more than 100 people so one may set different prices for day/night, week/weekend and so on.
What are the main advantages of this type of machines?
There are many good things that this type of parking meters brings to the table:
• Saving energy
Solar powered always means energy saving. Even if the price may look high in the beginning, the costs for running the machines are lower on the long run. They help one have less impact on the environment and solar power is the main solution for the future.
• Easier collection and banking
Not everyone has cash in their pockets for paying the parking and many customers are using a card at the moment. Pay and display machines actually give the customer the option to choose from various payment options, according to their needs. A card option is mandatory nowadays as many people stopped carrying cash. This can only mean one thing for a parking business owner: maximized revenues and higher income.
• Easy operation
This type of machines is easy to operate by both the owner and the customers. The clear signage s going to let the customer know exactly what he/she needs to do for operating the machine. Many of the machines are remotely operated so it’s easy for the owner to check the money income in a day or other useful info.
• Versatility
A pay and display machine (solar powered) may be used for on and off street, no matter if you’re planning to install it in a shopping center, town center or down a side street. They work in many types of environments and are really easy to manage.
Thanks to the benefits and features they become more and more popular.
Can solar powered meters work anywhere?
It’s pretty natural to ask yourself if the solar powered meters are only efficient in sunny areas like California or they’re also a dependable option in less sunny places. Can solar powered meters work in towns where there’s snow over the solar panels multiples times a year? Despite of what one may think, many solar powered meters may actually work on low light, heavy snow and even in extreme cold temperatures.
It’s the results of patented combined solar power and battery system that makes some smart parking meters able to remain charged even in the coldest situations. Keep in mind that solar panels need only a specific amount of ambient sunlight in order to maintain the battery packs charged. The snow cover doesn’t have that big impact that you may think. this is why the smart meters have become more and more popular, improving the parking and rising the revenues for one city.
Suffice it to say it, green technology is helping cities around the world to become greener altogether. Cities in various climates are trying to create new methods to lower their carbon footprint. Solar powered parking meters are only another option for any city to increase its green solutions. Not only that solar powered meters are making a city greener, but they’re also turn the parking for the better and increase a city’s revenue.
The conclusion
Getting greener and trying to maintain our environment healthier are the principles that guide, or should guide, everyone in the 21st centuries. The more we’re looking into it, the easier is going to be for the next generations to live on this planet.
