Councilors Want to Use Smart Phones, Payment Kiosks to Pay Meters, Bills
The Boston City Council will be discussing whether to enable residents to use smart phones to pay parking meters or pay bills at payments kiosks throughout the city. The two ideas are separate and were proposed by different councilors but fall under the same idea of using technology to make things easier for residents. At the council meeting on Wednesday, March 6, City Council President Stephen Murphy filed for a hearing to discuss the feasibility of payment kiosks. “Several other cities and towns do this. They have kiosks that are located in heavily populated and trafficked areas,” Murphy said. “It’s like a remote satellite station to pay a municipal bill. I’ve seen them at sports arenas, libraries, transit stations, and they get good use.” “We should make it easier for people. The kiosk idea is one way that would help do this. I’m kind of ganging up on what others have done with other cities and towns on best practices. Most of our payments are done 9 to 5 in person,” he continued. Also looking to make life a little easier for Boston residents is District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson, who supported and signed onto Murphy’s proposal on Wednesday. At last week’s council meeting, Jackson proposed using smart phones to pay parking meters by tapping a sticker on the meter. Jackson said vehicle owners are alerted to their meter running out of time before it expires via their smart phone. Jackson’s proposal also includes MBTA properties. On Wednesday, Jackson spoke about his proposal as well as Murphy’s. “The people in Boston move and think fast, and as a government we have to be right there with them,” he said. “Boston is a high-tech city in a high-tech state. To keep up, we have to give people as many options to pay as possible. Parking meter smart phone applications are just one more way to move Boston into the 21st century.” Both matters were referred to the Committee on Government Operations, and no dates have been set for the hearings. What do you think of being able to pay Boston parking meters via smart phones? Or having payment kiosks to pay bills? Let us know in the comments. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Things to Know in the South End Today, Feb. 14: Free Parking at all Boston Meters
1. Weather: The National Weather Service is predicting a mostly sunny day with a high of 43 degrees. 2. Free Parking: All parking meters in Boston will be free today, thanks to an unexpected move from Mayor Menino. So when you’re taking your sweetie out today, you’ll have several more quarters to spend! See here for more information. 3. Happy Valentine’s Day: Still haven’t decided what to do? Take your partner out for a romantic dinner tonight to these South End restaurants that are offering Valentine’s Day specials. 4. Creative Writing at Library: Love to write? Join Writing in the World: A Creative Writing Workshop for Adults offered at the South End Branch Library (685 Tremont St.) each Thursday. The seminar is aimed at beginning writers who want to experiment with poetry and short fiction. Limited to those over 55. See here for more information. 5. Upcoming Event at Salty Pig: Join General Manager Jillian Rocco and in-house Cheese Guru Anthony Liberti at The Salty Pig (130 Dartmouth St.), as they teach and treat you to a variety of wine and cheese pairings for their new educational and edible series, Board Games. It’s happening this Sunday, Feb. 17th from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $ 30 and you can buy them in advance. See here for more information. Things you can do every day on South End Patch: Share your news with the rest of the community. Click here to add an announcement. Add your events to our events calendar. Click here to sign up for breaking news updates. Want up-to-the-minute news? Click here to follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Share your thoughts on your community in a blog. Click here to get started. South End Patch
Free Parking at Boston Meters on Valentine’s Day
After a hard weekend of snow and shoveling, the city of Boston decided to show its residents and businesses a little love this week. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Mayor Menino announced on Wednesday that all parking meters in the city of Boston would be free all day on Valentine’s Day. Menino said the move is an effort to help businesses “make up for lost time” due to this past weekend’s blizzard. “Whether you’re showering yourself, a friend or a special someone with love this Valentine’s Day, we want to make it as easy as possible for residents and visitors to spend some time and money at Boston businesses and restaurants tomorrow,” Mayor Menino said. “Get out there and share the love!” Well, you heard him. When you’re taking you’re sweetie out for a nice lunch at Flour or a walk through Blackstone Square, or even going out at night for a lovely dinner, dedicate that extra moment when you’d usually be hunting around for quarters to your loved one. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch