The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency this week launched its first phase of a new parking meter program called SFpark.
The agency replaced 190 parking meters with new smart parking meters along Hayes Street and around Civic Center on Tuesday. The program is a way to ease congestion in the city and reduce air pollution, according to the agency.
The smart meters have sensors to help drivers provide “real-time information” of parking availability, which drivers can look up on the Web before leaving for their destination in the city. The new feature though would not be ready until next year, said Paul Rose, an agency spokesman.
Pricing per hour for a parking space would be determined by the demand. Currently it costs between $1 and $3.50 per hour to park at a meter. The smart meters could range between a quarter and $6, depending on demand.
“Installing better parking meters is just the first step towards making parking easier to find and easier to pay for,” said transit agency Executive Director, Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.
Drivers can still pay with coins with the new meters, but they can also pay with debit or credit cards and SFMTA parking cards.
The Mission District and Fisherman’s Wharf are other places the agency is looking at to add the smart meters.
To find if your neighborhood is part of the pilot program, visit sfpark.org.
