New meters ease on-campus parking woes

The West Virginia University Department of Transportation and Parking is working to make short-term parking on campus more convenient.

Beginning this week, the department will introduce new pay parking meters in the Mountainlair garage and Short-term Parking Area 9 on Fine Arts Drive across from the Creative Arts Center.

Rates will remain the same; however, assistant director of Parking Management Eric Rosie said the new meters would be more user-friendly.

"The current meters don’t give change and don’t take credit cards. The meters are not customer-friendly with modern times," he said. "They don’t take credit cards – everywhere you go today takes credit cards."

Rosie said the new meters will provide change, accept credit cards and use a pay-by-space method.

"Right now, you could technically receive a citation on your car while you’re in the process of buying a permit," Rosie said. "With the pay-by-space feature, you will no longer need to print a permit for your dashboard."

Rosie said the new meters would also have a text message parking extension feature.

The new system will send a text message to students when their parking time is nearing expiration. Students will then have the option to extend their parking time by replying to the text message.

Rosie said he was excited to introduce the new pay meters to alleviate frustrations and complaints with the current system.

"Right now, the biggest complaint we receive is that the (Mountainlair) garage doesn’t give change. It costs $1.25 to park, you put in your $2, but you get nothing back," he said. "Now, the meters will give you change. Hopefully, this will cut down on the complaints and the issues in the Mountainlair garage."

Rosie said the meters in Area 9 will include attached solar panels to increase sustainabillity efforts.

The Department of Transportation and Parking’s goal in installing the new parking meters is to provide the public with a greater range of options and increased convenience when paying for parking.

Rosie said the department is striving to move forward and hopes to provide more of the new meters within the next few years.

"Right now, we’re only changing these two lots," he said. "Over the next five years, we’re hoping to place the meters in all of the short-term lots."

Fore more information, call the parking office at 304-293-5502.