City launches ParkDetroit Mobile App part of its on-street parking system overhaul

ParkDetroit transitions the city into more efficient and customer friendly on-street parking system

DETROIT - Flanked by a small army of parking enforcement officers, and local merchants, City of Detroit Chief Operating Officer Gary Brown and Municipal Parking Director Norm White, launched the city’s new ParkDetroit mobile app which helps make its system arguably the most comprehensive on-street parking system in the country.

ParkDetroit represents a citywide upgrade to the city’s on-street parking system, which includes partially solar-powered pay stations now being installed throughout the city. Coupled with the pay stations, the ParkDetroit mobile app provides several new features for convenience that give motorists a more positive and customer-friendly experience when parking throughout the city.

The ParkDetroit mobile app is available now for download at Google Play and the App Store. Some of the features include:
• Payment for parking sessions prior to exiting your vehicle
• Text alerts 10 minutes prior to expired parking session
• Ability to extend parking sessions (within parking limitations) from your smartphone
• Logging of electronic parking receipts


“For decades, residents and visitors have all been frustrated by our parking system, and our hard-working parking enforcement officers have usually gotten all the blame,” said Brown. “But those days are over, because thanks in part to the ParkDetroit app, the city of Detroit will be home to the most comprehensive and customer-friendly on-street parking system in the entire country.”

21st CENTURY ON-STREET PARKING OVERHAUL
The implementation of ParkDetroit comes amid increasing calls for the modernization of a parking system seen as both archaic and non-user-friendly. The city plans to have the system fully implemented by the end of July. Once completed, Detroit's system will feature 500 new kiosk pay stations to replace about 3,000 of the old meters. Single-meter spaces will still be maintained in some areas.

PAY-BY-PLATE
The new parking system will eliminate the vast majority of single-space parking meters, and replace them with partially solar-powered, multi-space kiosks. The kiosks will prompt motorists to pay for their parking by typing in their license plate, as opposed to typing in a parking space number.

ROAM WITHIN ZONES
This new system divides the city into three primary zones (with several subzones), where parking rates may vary. By registering a license plate for a parking session in a particular zone, motorists are allowed to move to additional parking spaces within that zone at no additional cost, as long as time is still available from the original parking session.

Additional features of the parking system overhaul include:
• Allowing payment at kiosk with credit cards or coins
• Extending parking sessions at the nearest kiosk, no matter where your vehicle is parked across the city
• Allowing motorists to move to additional spaces within the same zone with no additional fee, as long as they still have time available
• Use of prepaid parking cards to save on credit or debit transaction fees
• Preventing parking violations at broken meters

“As Detroit’s neighborhoods, downtown and midtown areas continue to grow due to the impending completion of projects such as Detroit’s M1-Rail and the new Red Wings Stadium, the need for more organized and systematic parking program has never been greater,” said Brown.

“I know I can speak for all of the business owners along Livernois in saying that parking has historically been a major challenge for those of us doing business in this area,“ said Rufus Bartell, Owner of Simply Casual Clothing, and President of the Independent Business Association, and member of the Avenue of Fashion Business Association. “I think I can also say that we are all pleased with this new direction, and the city’s approach to implementing a parking system that better fits our needs.”

White, who has been meeting with Detroit’s business groups, said the city’s parking system is quickly moving into the 21st Century, and when complete, Detroit will have the most comprehensive on-street parking system in the country.

“This new system does nothing to change existing parking regulations, it provides state-of-the art equipment that makes the municipal parking department more efficient than its ever been, while making parking on the street more convenient for users than its ever been.”

For more information, including instruction videos, go to www.ParkDetroit.us.