Passport set to launch in Clayton
PARKING IS GETTING AN UPGRADE WITH SMARTPHONE APP
Passport set to launch in Clayton
Clayton, MO – December 30, 2016: Paying for a parking spot in Clayton is about to get a whole lot easier. The City announced today a launch date with industry leader Passport to power its mobile payment parking application.
Residents and visitors can download the PassportParking app and pay for metered parking on their phone by adding a debit or credit card. The app is part of a larger plan to improve parking throughout the city, particularly in the downtown area. With the app, customers can:
- Search for parking
- Pay securely through the app or mobile web
- Monitor parking sessions
- Extend parking from the app (up the maximum allotted time)
- View parking history
Additional benefits include the ability to pay for parking tickets through the app or online. However, people can easily avoid tickets by taking advantage of the feature to extend parking in the app if they are running low on time. Clayton residents will also be able to purchase a residential parking permit by visiting claytonpermits.mcpay.com. Permits will be connected digitally to the individual’s license plate number.
Beginning January 3, 2017, drivers are encouraged to download PassportParking from the iPhone App Store and Android Google Play. Users can also manage their parking online at ppprk.com. The app is free to download.
The parking app will be available to make parking payments on 28 pay stations and over 1,200 on-street parking meters throughout Clayton.
“Passport is a proven leader in payment and mobile technology with high adoption rates in cities across North America. They are a true partner to the City and their platform allows us to provide a total solution to residents and visitors,” said Gary Carter, Director of Economic Development.
In addition to the launch of the parking app, several other changes have been made to improve parking in Clayton as a result of the publicly accessible parking survey completed by Walker Parking Consultants in July 2016. The study concluded that, out of the 15,000+ parking spaces in Clayton, only an average of 66% of the average available spaces are used during the week and 24% on weekends.
Walker Parking Consultants concluded their study with the belief that Clayton as ample parking, but the City could do a better job of directing people to the right parking space dependent upon their needs. Several restaurants and retailers depend on parking that continually turns and is proximate to their businesses, so, in order to meet the needs of the user and the community, their specific recommendations were to:
- Implement a pay by phone parking app
- Implement “park once” districts
- Encourage shared parking
- Increase on-street parking rates
- Increase parking violation fines
- Use mobile license plate reader (LPR) technology
“Park once” districts were created to enforce short-term parking in high demand areas and restrict movement within the specified area to circumvent time limits. In these areas, time limits apply to the entire area and not just the parking space.
Meter rates were raised and parking violation fines were increased in an attempt to discourage long-term parking in front of short-term uses such as retail shops and restaurants. Previous parking rates discouraged the use of garage spaces since on-street rates were considerably less. Meter rates increased to $1.50 per hour. While the fines have also increased, there are discounts for timely payment. The new fine for an expired meter violation is $20, but escalates to $60 if not paid within 21 days of the violation.
To increase the efficiency of fair and equitable parking violation enforcement, the City has implemented LPR technology. This feature is tied into the pay stations and parking app for increased efficiency, allowing increased coverage of enforcement. Parking enforcement has also changed how they will interact with citizens and guests of Clayton. Instead of enforcers, they are ambassadors and will carry information about the parking app and parking options in Clayton.
Despite the several changes made, the City has not changed the parking enforcement hours. The study suggested that enforcement be extended past 5 p.m. during the week and to weekends, but the City decided, at this time, to not extend enforcement based on the ample supply of parking at these times.
The City believes the changes will make parking better in Clayton and keep parking spots turning in front of high traffic areas. For more information on the changes and to read the complete parking study, visit www.claytonmo.gov/parking.
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