Smart meter parking new option in Charlottetown

The city of Charlottetown is making it easier for people to pay for parking in the city.

The new smart meter program was officially launched at a news conference Monday, Oct. 27.

Driverswill have two payment options forthe meters. They can buy a re-loadable, pre-paid Smartcard at city hall or at the Charlottetown police station. The card can then be inserted in the meter to pay for parking in 25 cent increments.

Users can also download the Hotspot Parking app andcreatea user account with their credit card information. Parking can be paid through the secureapp or by texting Hotspot.

Motoristswill also be warned when time on the meter is about to run out allowing them to do automatic meter top-ups.

When you have the app downloaded you would load the make and model of the vehicle and the license plate number and you would load up so much time when purchasing your parking time, said city councillor Terry Bernard.

There are 800 smart meters throughout the city. On Monday morning20 people were paying for parking through the smartcards or Hotspot Parking.