New Cornell parking meters offer convenience

Cornell’s Department of Transportation Services is moving to Pay-by-License Plate (PBL) parking pay stations, part of a suite of technologies using a vehicle’s license plate as the key identifier. PBL provides significant operational benefits for the institution and far greater convenience for parkers.

Using PBL, parkers enter their license plate numbers at the pay station when paying for a parking session and walk away. They do not need to remember a space number or return to their cars to place a receipt on the dash. When parking enforcement officers enter the license plate numbers on their handheld devices, the real-time paid/unpaid status will be displayed.

The city of Ithaca recently deployed the same PBL technology, removing curbside coin-operated meters from several city streets.

The new campus pay stations will replace all existing Cornell multi-space meters, except in B Lot near the College of Veterinary Medicine, where the meter will be removed due to low use. The units feature a full keypad, easy-to-read LCD screens and the option to add a phone number. When combined with technologies such as Parkmobile Pay-by-Cell, parkers will be able to access services from a mobile device, including receiving alerts when their parking sessions are about to expire and adding additional time to their parking sessions remotely.

Installation of the new pay stations will take place in early September. For parking lot locations and rates, visit www.parking.cornell.edu.

Frequently asked questions

Will the new pay stations replace all the parking meters?

New pay stations will replace current multi-space meters in six locations: Appel Commons, 626 Thurston Ave., Willard Straight Hall, Peterson Lot (Tower Road), Bartels Hall and the Cornell Plantations’ Nevin Center. These parking lots also offer Parkmobile pay-by-cell as an alternative to the walk-up pay station.

Traditional single-space parking meters are still located at Robert Purcell, Helen Newman and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. As demand for space and technology evolves, these older units may be replaced or removed.

Is there a fee charged in addition to the parking fee?

No. Unlike pay-by-cell transactions, there are no additional surcharges. There is a 25-cent surcharge when using the extend-by-phone feature.

Are you raising the rates?

No. Rate information for each of the metered parking lots can be found at www.parking.cornell.edu.

What advantages does PBL offer?

Parkers will not need to pay and display a payment receipt on the dashboards. If desired, parkers can receive alerts on their mobile devices signaling parking time is about to expire. Customers can extend the time remotely, using their smartphones.

Media Contact

John Carberry