ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – St. Augustine will begin replacing more than 40 downtown parking pay stations Monday, installing new cashless kiosks through the week.
The city plans to swap out nearly 43 pay stations March 30 through April 3, moving to touchscreen kiosks that accept credit cards only. The city’s vendor, Arrive, said the system is intended to be more user-friendly.
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The change will roll out in three phases: the first phase will be around the Plaza de la Constitucion, including St. George Street, Cathedral Place and King Street, extending to Avenida Menendez and the lot for Castillo de San Marcos.
Phase 2 will be around City Hall, including areas near Grenada, Cedar and Cordova streets and extending to the Bayfront south.
Phase 3 is planned to be along Charlotte and Valencia streets, plus Markland Place, the Tolomato Lot and the Excelsior Lot in Lincolnville.
“We always park in the parking garage, if anything, or find a spot. You’d be lucky to find one early enough,” said St. Augustine residents Stephanie and Jeff Thurgood. “At the moment, these [kiosks] have been fine, so stepping into cashless will be kind of like coming of age, but we’ll see how it pans out.”
In a press release, the city said parking spaces will be blocked off in work areas by the St. Augustine Police Department “to ensure ample workspace and safety for parking technician staff to install the new kiosks.”
“It’s probably a good idea, but maybe not money well-spent because you still would have to type your license plate, which is the biggest problem with the current system,” another St. Augustine resident said.
The city said the replacement process is expected to last about three days, weather permitting, and is not expected to interrupt parking enforcement. The fine for illegal parking remains $100.