NYC Explores Private Deal For Parking Meters
New York City is taking tentative steps toward turning over the operation of its nearly 39,000 parking meters to a private company, with a cautious eye toward avoiding costly missteps made in other cities.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration hasn’t made a decision to go ahead with a deal. But it will put out requests in the coming weeks to weigh the capabilities of potential bidders.
Officials said they are motivated in part by a belief that a private company could help alleviate some of the well-known frustrations of parking in New York: circling block after block in a search for an empty spot or dashing out in the middle of dinner to feed a meter.
With enough incentive, officials believe, an outside party could come up with innovations for the Internet age, such as a system to pay with a smartphone or a mobile app that would direct drivers to vacant spaces detected through sensors in the pavement.
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