Starting next week Montgomery County will begin replacing about 1,100 on-street parking meters in Silver Spring with new meters capable of reading credit cards.
The replacement project is expected to begin on Nov. 2 and take about two weeks, according to the county. The hourly rates for the meters, $1 per hour for short-term spots, will remain the same.
The cost to replace each meter is $590, making the total cost to replace the meters $708,000, according to Montgomery County spokesman Patrick Lacefield.
To replace the meters, workers will swap out the upper part of the meter heads with new technology and reuse the existing meter poles and lower part of the meter heads. Last year, the county also replaced the on-street meters in Bethesda with new ones that accept credit cards.
The meters use a solar-powered battery system to power its digital display and allow them to communicate with a web-based system that processes and maintains the security of the credit card transactions, according to the county.
“Smart parking meters expand the payment options for on-street meter parking, providing even more convenience for our parking customers,” County Executive Ike Leggett said in a statement. “These meters have proven to be very popular in Bethesda, making it easier to pay for parking.”
