The Sacramento City Council has approved a new computer system for the city's parking garages.
The Parking Services Division says the new system will tell you what spaces are closest, will let you prepay for them and will let you drive into a garage with almost no delay once it's your turn.
Mike King is the Parking Technology and Infrastructure Manager says technology that reads license plates will decrease the time required to get in and out of garages.
"Customers that have monthly passes or who have prepaid for their parking, if their license plates have been entered into the system the system will recognize them as they approach the entrance and will go ahead and open the gate for them and let them in. "
The Amano McGann system costs $4 million. The warranty, spare parts, hardware, software and cloud servicing will cost $1.75 million.
Matt Eierman is the city's parking manager. He says the new system will let you use your phone to find and prepay for parking at any of the city's five parking garages. He says the old system was breaking down.
"How old's your iPhone? "How old's your computer? When you look at a 14-year old system that tracks millions of transactions on an annual basis it definitely is very well outdated. "
Eierman says business owners will be able to validate parking more easily, and coupons will be more easily redeemed.
The department says a more efficient system will likely increase parking revenues by $1.4 million per year.
If that turns out to be the case, the new system will pay for itself in four years.
If has an estimated life span of between seven-and-ten years.
The system is scheduled to be installed by September of next year -just in time for the opening of the new downtown arena.
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