AGENDA #5d
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Technology Committee Review of Parking Services Smart Card Initiative
DATE: January 9, 2006
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information about disposable Smart Cards as a follow-up to the information on reusable Smart Cards presented at the February 14, 2005 business meeting.
BACKGROUND
Smart Cards are similar to debit cards, carry magnetically encoded data, and can be used to purchase parking time from specially designed parking meters and pay stations. The Town of Chapel Hill parking services program does not have a smart card program. Considerations for implementing such a program were discussed at two previous Town Council meetings on January 12, and February 15, 2005. At the latter meeting, the issue was referred to the Technology Committee to study the entire topic of electronic support for parking services.
The Technology Committee has reviewed the smart card proposals that were presented to the Town Council by the Town staff and studied technologies used by other municipalities to manage parking programs. The Committee’s review process has included a briefing by the Parking Services Supervisor on current systems and equipment as well as planned changes and improvements to these systems. The Committee conducted research of specific equipment and programs used in other cities and looked carefully at innovative technologies use to manage parking systems.
In the attached memorandum, the Committee concludes that there is no compelling benefit to be derived from implementing a smart card program for Chapel Hill.
The Technology Committee recommends that consideration be given to establishing a parking task force for the purpose of identifying the overall parking challenges the Town faces and exploring the multitude of policy, management and technology solutions.
The Town continues to look for ways to make paying for parking easier. We are in the process of implementing credit card pay options at all of our parking lots. Lot 5 supports use of credit cards and Lot 2, Lot 3, and the Wallace Parking Deck will support credit card payment by the end of January 2006. Other changes will be considered if system and implementation costs become acceptable.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We do not recommend any further action on the Smart Card initiative at this time.
ATTACHMENT