Dearborn to Offer Pay by Cell Phone Parking
It’s taken a while to make its way to Dearborn (we raised it long ago as a “copy with pride” idea) but the city will finally be offering a new pay-by-cell-phone metered parking system.
For those without cash or those not wanting to race back and forth feeding a meter, this is great news for west Dearborn patrons and business owners.
City officials will make the announcement Monday at a ribbon cutting at the Bryant Library.
“This convenient service is another example of the city’s commitment to be responsive to customers and to businesses,” the City of Dearborn says in a prepared statement.
We raised the idea of copying-with-pride back in August 2008 when downtown Petoskey, Michigan went to a paid parking system that uses your cell phone. That system allows drivers to call a phone number listed on the parking meter. They then register personal info (credit card and car’s license plate) and enter the meter’s number using the phone’s keypad.
Equipped with an electronic record of the parking fee schedules associated with that meter, computers then charge the correct amount — plus a 25-cent “convenience fee” — to the driver’s credit card.
When the driver is finally ready to leave, another call ends the billing and generates an electronic receipt that can be sent to the driver’s cell phone or to a pre-registered e-mail address.
The first lot to get the new system will be Parking Lot H, which is on West Village Drive (south of Michigan Avenue), between Mason and Monroe.
The ribbon-cutting will be attended by Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., Garret Snook from Parkmobile USA, the company implementing the cell phone system and Scott Mooney from Republic Parking, the company that now manages paid parking in Dearborn.
Also on hand will be members of the Dearborn Parking Advisory Commission, the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority.
December 17th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Hmmm….I knew the parking had changed hands, but Republic Parking? Do we get a break on the trash pickup by using a parking management company with the same name? Methinks this is not coincidental.
December 18th, 2010 at 8:18 am
This might just work IF there were people parking in the lots!!!!
December 18th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Hey City of Dearborn way to pat yourself on the back for utilizing 2006 technology. Maybe Mayor Mc Cheese and his band of merry clowncil people can issue a press release that the city is upgrading to touch tone phones, and color TV.
December 20th, 2010 at 11:00 am
How about getting rid of the paid parking entirely? (Insert beating of dead horse here). That would be responsive to what the people want. Remember when the parking issue hit the ballot a few years back and was written such that “Yes” meant “No” and “No” meant “Yes”. Yeah, because 80% of Dearborn residents were in favor of paid parking. NOT.
December 20th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
How y’all doin’! Been a while, eh? Yep, just pokin’ in for a few and I gotta admit, you Dearburnites have really progressed in the year since I left yah.
Now you’re sending your tax dollars to a Tennessee corporation (Republic) to manage your paid parking…
http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/bcs_corp/dt_corp.asp?id_nbr=631108&name_entity=REPUBLIC%20PARKING%20SYSTEM,%20INC.
…and also leasing them (Republic) two City of Dearburn-owned vehicles (1997 Yellow Ford F-350,VIN# lFTHF36H4VEB44807, Plate #029X081 & 2005 Tenant Sweeper, Model #6650XP, Serial #6650-10358) for a lofty fee of $1 over Republics’ 3-year contract too. (See: Aug 16 2010 – CMM; page 25, Item# 8-488-10)
http://www.cityofdearborn.org/documents/cat_view/91-city-council/92-2010-minutes
Yep, free government err, taxpayer equipment for Republic Parking System, Inc. to utilize for what y’all contracted them to manage in the first place, and all them residential tax dollars heading down to Tennessee while y’all is tryin’ to figure out how y’all’s gonna make up for your $20,000,000.00 budget deficit. Them folk down there in Chattanooga prolly think y’all from Dearburn are mighty generous being the financial situation y’all’s in and everything. Yep, mighty fine job there Mayor Jack and Council.
Really lookin’ forward to reading ’bout y’all’s new Conference Center and rail stop too. Maybe in the spring… maybe.
At least y’all’s perennial in foreclosure Preferred Flimflammer now operates “the second in the nation” Panera soup kitchens in y’all’s booming West Downtown metropolis. I don’t care who you are; that’s some second to none braggin’ rights, and Stuart Smalley chest-thumpin pride right there.
Well, it’s been fun stoppin’ by but, I wouldn’t want to overindulge in taking in too much of Dearburn’s successes over these past 365+some days. They’re all yours, and rightfully so, all yours to enjoy now.
Merry Christmas, y’all! You too, Mr. Deep.
Ps. Reality bites, keep the faith… if you’re going to continue living there you’re going to need all of it you can find.
December 21st, 2010 at 7:13 am
LX – don’t know about anyone else but I can say that I have missed you. Merry Christmas to you!
December 21st, 2010 at 1:55 pm
There seem to be logical reasons why these people have come together to provide residents and visitors with an easier method of paying for parking. The Ford family appears in several of these businesses. This looks like a good initiative with strong partners.
http://us.parkmobile.com/en/providers/about
http://us.parkmobile.com/
http://www.fontinalispartners.com/index.html
https://www.republicparking.com/
December 21st, 2010 at 3:12 pm
LX for mayor. LX for mayor.