The days of parking at a dead meter and praying you won't be ticketed are nearing an end in Detroit. Over the next two weeks, the city will be rolling out its new parking system, ParkDetroit, by installing new meters throughout the city.
ParkDetroit represents a major advancement in parking technology for the city. The archaic hodgepodge of coin-operated meters and rarely-functioning kiosks that accept credit cards will be replaced with new stations that allow motorists to pay with cash, credit card, or via a mobile app (available for Android and iPhones). Drivers will need to know their license plate and parking zone numbers in order to pay at a station.
Accompanying the change in technology is a change in Detroit's parking ordinance. On Tuesday, July 28, Detroit City Council unanimously voted to amend the ordinance to establish a variety of parking rates for different sections of the city. While rates will remain the same in most neighborhoods ($0.25 per 15 minutes, or $1 per hour), several areas will see modest increases, such as Eastern Market and Midtown (now $1.50 per hour) and the central business district ($2 per hour).
Detroit's chief operating officer Gary Brown told the Detroit News that the city will only issue "courtesy tickets" while new meters are being installed to help raise awareness of the new system.
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Detroit News