Third-year law student Evan Ford inserts a coin into a parking meter Sept. 11, 2013 outside the Dairy Store. The new parking meters are solar powered and now accept credit cards. Khoa Nguyen/ The State News
Parking lots across campus are getting a facelift as MSU police replace existing meters with credit-card compatible and environmentally conscious models.
Throughout the fall, MSU police gradually will install the new solar-powered parking meters, which cost between $400 and $500 apiece, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.
During the summer, police used a three-month trial run of about 50 meters and since have gradually implemented them at busy on-campus locations.
MSU police Parking Meter Coordinator Steve Grice said the old meters were outdated.
“The old meters were 20 years old and coin-only,” Grice said. “We needed to find a better way to help customers.”
Eventually, campus will have a total of 750 new meters.
The control system for the meters also is Internet-based, allowing a text message and email alert to be sent to MSU police when a meter is malfunctioning. Grice said the credit card option still will work when the coin meter is out of order.
Most importantly, Grice said the meters cut down on energy costs. Rather than changing the batteries twice a year, he said the new batteries only require replacing once every three years.
“The less we put in a landfill, the better, and that’s huge to us,” he said.
Although human development and family studies junior Allie Bunch said she hates carrying change, she said the new card payment option also has its own drawbacks.
“When I used my card, it wouldn’t let me do less than an hour, and I don’t always need to be here for an hour,” Bunch said.
Grice said police soon will have an alternative meter option for on-campus parking garages.
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