Why is the City of Tucson replacing the meters in Downtown and by the University of Arizona
campus?
The current single-space meters are reaching their end of their useful life. The new smart
single-space meters will not only be more reliable than the old meters, but if and when there
are maintenance issues, the new smart meters will wirelessly alert the City’s Park Tucson staff to
address the problem quickly.
The second reason is to improve customer service. The current meters only accept coins,
whereas the new smart meters will accept multiple forms of payment. We know that
maintaining a supply of quarters and other change is inconvenient, so while the new meters will
continue to accept coins, they will also accept credit cards, debit cards, and our new Park
Tucson-branded smart cards. You will also be able to pay for parking at the new meters
through our own free mobile app, using credit, debit, or smart card, or through your own prepaid
“wallet”. When you use the pay-by-cell option, the new mobile application will text you an
alert in advance of your meter expiring, giving you a chance to extend your time or return
before the meter expires.
The City is installing parking meters in the 4th Avenue business district for the very first time, and
wants to provide the best paid parking experience possible there. With state-of-the-art meters
coming to 4th Avenue, the time is right to replace the old meters in Downtown and by the UA
and Main Gate Square, providing a consistent on-street parking experience in all of the business
districts along the Sun Link streetcar line.
Why do we call the meters “smart”?
The new IPS Model M5 meters are smart for various reasons. They are smart because of the
many options for convenient payment they offer. They are smart because they communicate
wirelessly to Park Tucson with operational alerts and financial and occupancy data, and to
customers via smart-phone application. The M5’s are smart also because they are powered by
the sun. A solar panel on each meter powers its rechargeable battery.
Overall, they will be a key tool in managing a smart public parking program that supports smart
development of Tucson’s urban center.
Are the hours during which I have to pay for metered parking changing?
In Downtown Tucson, the days and hours when you have to pay at the meters is staying the
same: Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, holidays excluded.
At Main Gate Square and at City meters around the University of Arizona campus, the hours will
remain 8am to 5pm. However, the days when meter payment is enforced will be extended
from Monday through Friday only to include Saturdays and Sundays also, effective January 24,
2015.
When will the new meters be installed?
On November 26, 2014, 21 new smart meters were installed on Pennington Street and on 6th
Avenue in Downtown, but the remaining 850 or so meters in Downtown will be installed in midDecember.
Main Gate/UA-area meters will be installed prior to the return of the UA students
for Spring Semester, and possibly before the end of 2014. The new 4th Avenue business district
meters will be installed starting in January 2015.
Will the metered parking cost the same as it does now?
When the installation of all the new smart meters is complete, the parking rate for all of the
zones (Downtown, 4th Avenue, Main Gate/UA area) will be $1.00 per hour. Currently the Main
Gate/UA area meters cost $1.00 per hour, and the Downtown meters cost $0.50 per hour. The
new meters should be installed Downtown for a couple of weeks before the rate goes up from
50 cents to $1 on Monday, January 5, 2015.
I have a meter cash key, on which I have some remaining value. Will the new meters accept
my cash key, or can I get credited with that value?
The new meters will not accept the old cash keys, but will accept our new Park Tucson smart
cards. After the new meters are installed, just come into our office at the Pennington Street
Garage, 110 E. Pennington Street, suite 150, and we’ll swap out your cash key for a smart card,
and will transfer the remaining value on the key to your new card.
Will the new technology assist people in finding parking?
The new smart-phone app, available for free download at app stores in mid-December, will have
a parking locator function to help visitors to the area find both on-street and off-street parking.
Which credit cards are accepted at the smart meters?
The meters will accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
Is there a fee for using a credit card with the smart meters?
No, there is no fee to use a credit or debit card with the smart meters. However, there is a
minimum parking session required to pay by credit card, depending on the time limit of the
meter.
Is there a fee to use the pay-by-cell smart-phone app?
Parking paid through mobile payment will be processed by a third-party vendor. To cover the
cost of the service, a convenience fee of $0.25/transaction will be charged to the customer, in
addition to the parking fee.
Can I get a receipt for my credit card payment at a new parking meter?
Yes. Visit https://receipt.ipsmetersystems.com and enter the requested information. A PDF
receipt will be generated for the parking transaction(s) found for the credit card. You may also
use the “Login” link to register your card; once that is done, you’ll automatically receive a
receipt by email each time the card is used. When you use the Park Tucson mobile app, you
can request that a receipt be emailed to you after each transaction.
Will there be an opportunity for businesses to start a validation program for on-street
parking?
Yes, with the new technology, businesses will be able to validate on-street parking
electronically, an option that is not currently available with the existing meters. Merchants may
also validate garage parking once Park Tucson’s garage technology upgrades are implemented
this winter.
FAQ Specific to the 4th Avenue Business District
Why is the City of Tucson installing parking meters on 4th Avenue?
Parking meters are a useful tool to manage the demand for street parking in a congested,
vibrant business district. Often, there is as much demand for parking as there is supply of
parking around 4th Avenue, and 4th Avenue itself is frequently at 100% occupancy. Meters will
ensure that there is enough turnover of the parking spaces sought after by customers of 4th
Avenue businesses to allow customers to find convenient parking when and where they need it.
The City is looking to have all of the parking along the Sun Link streetcar corridor managed to
promote more efficient utilization of existing parking facilities.
How will the meters benefit 4th Avenue?
The meters will ensure that more customers arriving by car will find convenient parking more
often. Meters will increase the effective supply of parking for 4th Avenue businesses and their
customers. The best parking spaces on the Avenue and just off 4th will no longer be occupied
for hours at a time by vehicles belonging to non-customers.
The meters will be good for business, and are supported by the Fourth Avenue Merchants
Association.
How much will it cost to park on 4th Avenue?
It will cost $1.00 per hour to park at the meters, which is the same rate that will be in effect for
Downtown, Main Gate Square, and at the City’s spaces around UA.
On what days of the week and hours of the day will people have to pay at the meters?
Motorists will be required to pay to park at the 4
th Avenue Business District meters Monday
through Friday, from 9am to 6pm. These hours are similar to the days and hours in Downtown
(M-F, 8am- 5pm). Enforcement of the paid parking around the UA will extend to Saturdays and
Sundays in January.
Do I need to have a pocketful of quarters in order to pay for the metered parking?
Coins will still be accepted at the new meters, but one of the advantages of the smart meters
that the City is installing on 4th Avenue and throughout its managed street parking area is that
there are multiple payment options, including credit, debit, and smart (stored value) cards, as
well as payment through a free smart-phone app. Your phone or a card will suffice.
Will all of 4th Avenue have meters? What about side streets?
Both sides of 4th Avenue between University Blvd. and 9th Street will have the new smart meters
and the east side of 4th between University Blvd. and 2nd Street will have meters as well. Side
streets will have meters between 4th Avenue and the onset of Residential Permit zones.
Where will the staff and employees of 4th Avenue businesses park?
Certain areas near 4th Avenue will not have meters but will be designated as permit zones.
Employees may purchase permits allowing them to park in these areas for affordable fees.
Permit areas will be located on parts of 5th Street, 7th Street, 3rd Avenue, and 5th Avenue.
Will there be time limits restricting the amount of time someone can park?
Most of the 4th Avenue area’s meters will have 2-hour limits, at least initially. The meters north
of University Blvd. will have a 3-hour time limit, as will others not as close to the concentration
of shops, restaurants, and bars on the Avenue. Longer time limits will allow for additional
walking time and combined dining and shopping visits.
The initial time limits are not necessarily permanent. Park Tucson will monitor the usage of the
meters and be receptive to input from businesses and customers. If particular areas would
benefit from shorter time limits (encouraging more turnover) or longer time limits (encouraging
longer visits), we can make those adjustments.
Will Park Tucson parking agents be writing tickets for expired meters from the first day of
installation?
There will be a period of education following the installation of meters, followed by a period of
enforcement that is limited to warnings, prior to the ongoing period of enforcement that will
include fines for violations. Parkers who pay through the Park Tucson app may sign up to be
notified by text alert when their meters are approaching expiration, and given the opportunity
to extend their time to avoid a citation.
Will there be parking meters next to each parking space or will people have to walk down the
street looking for a machine to pay?
Each parking space will have its own “single-space” smart parking meter. Some meter poles will
have just one meter on top, but others will have two meters on them, with one meter assigned
to the space forward of the pole, and the other assigned to the space behind the pole.
What if a merchant is doing renovations and needs nearby parking for contractors? Do they
have to feed the meter all day long?
Park Tucson offers construction permits at a reasonable rate, sold by the day. Notify Park
Tucson staff at least two days in advance, and they will hood the meter, placing the associated
parking space out of service during the time the customer pays for the permit. The contractor
will be given a permit to display, identifying them as having the right to park in the space for the
duration of the reservation.
