OKAY.
WE’LL CHECK BACK WITH YOU.
NOW, HEADS UP IF YOU PARK IN NEW
YORK CITY.
>> YEAH, THIS IS IMPORTANT
STUFF.
A MODERN METER SYSTEM SET TO GO
ONLINE WITHIN WEEKS.
THIS WOULD ELIMINATE THE NEED TO
PUT A RECEIPT ON YOUR DASHBOARD.
AND BY GETTING RID OF THE
RECEIPTS THE CITY WILL SAVE
ROUGHLY 2500 MILES OF PAPER
EVERY YEAR, AND THAT’S ENOUGH TO
STRETCH FROM NEW YORK TO L.A.
OKAY, SO HOW DOES THE NEW SYSTEM
ACTUALLY WORK?
LET’S GET TO NEWS 4’S ANDREW
SIFF LIVE IN SUNNYSIDE QUEENS TO
WALK US THROUGH.
WE KNOW IT WILL SAVE PAPER, BUT
HOW DOES IT WORK, ANDREW?
>> Reporter: RIGHT, NATALIE.
THEY’RE CUTTING OUT THAT KEY
MIDDLE STEP OF HAVING TO PUT
SOMETHING ON YOUR DASHBOARD.
SO THEY’RE CALLED PAY BY PLATE
MACHINES.
YOU PRESS A BUTTON IN THE
CENTER.
THE SCREEN WILL LIGHT UP.
AND THEN YOU JUST PRESS ANOTHER
TIME ON THE SCREEN AND YOU GET
TO ENTER A LICENSE PLATE NUMBER.
WITH THE BIG ADVANTAGE BEING YOU
NO LONGER NEED A PAPER RECEIPT.
THAT TINY LITTLE RECEIPT IS A
BIG WASTE OF PAPER.
>> EVERY YEAR OUR PARKING METERS
BRING ENOUGH RECEIPTS TO STRETCH
FROM NEW YORK CITY TO L.A.
>> Reporter: SO THE CITY’S
TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER
GREENLIT A PLAN TO SAVE MONEY ON
PAPER AND ALSO SAVE DRIVERS
TIME.
>> I THINK IT’S GREAT BECAUSE A
LOT OF TIMES THE METERS DON’T
WORK AND IT’S VERY FRUSTRATING
TO PARK.
>> Reporter: THE NEW METERS ARE
KNOWN AS PAY BY PLATE.
THERE ARE ALREADY ABOUT A DOZEN
IN USE IN QUEENS.
YOU PRESS A BUTTON AND ENTER
YOUR LICENSE PLATE NUMBER AND
FORM OF PAYMENT.
BUT WITH 80,000 METERED SPACES
AND 14,000 MUNI METER MACHINES,
THE UPGRADE WILL TAKE TIME.
UPPER MANHATTAN WILL GO FIRST.
THE FULL CITYWIDE CONVERSION
MIGHT NOT BE UNTIL THE END OF
2027.
>> WOLE SEE WHERE IT GOES.
I MEAN, HOPEFULLY IT’S NOT TOO
BIG OF A DEAL.
>> Reporter: SOME CITY LAWMAKERS
WANT TO MAKE SURE THE D.O.T.
DOES AN EFFECTIVE JOB GETTING
NEW YORKERS UP TO SPEED.
>> EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW TO USE
IT, SO THE QUESTION WOULD BE
EXPLAIN WHAT YOU NEED TO PUT
YOUR LICENSE PLATE INTO THE
MACHINE.
>> Reporter: MANY DRIVERS ARE
ONLY TOO HAPPY TO SEE THE END OF
THE PAPER SLIP SYSTEM.
THE CURRENT MUNI METERS CAN BE
GLITCHY.
YOU MIGHT RECALL A MINI MELTDOWN
IN 2020 WHEN NOBODY COULD PRINT
AND THE D.O.T. HAD TO FIX A
COMPUTER ISSUE.
>> THAT HAPPENED, YES.
WON’T TAKE THE CARD.
IT SAYS INVALID CARD.
>> Reporter: THE D.O.T. SAYS THE
NEW MACHINES ARE MORE RELIABLE
AND BETTER SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE
PARK NYC APP.
WITH ANOTHER BENEFIT FOR REVENUE
COLLECTION POLICE CAN GET
VIOLATORS ELECTRONICALLY WITHOUT
HAVING TO SCAN EVERY CAR’S
RECEIPT.
BUT CITY OFFICIALS SAY DRIVERS
GET A BENEFIT TOO.
>> THIS IS MORE CONVENIENT AND
IT WILL SAVE TIME.
>> Reporter: BACK LIVE NOW, YOU
DO SEE THE SIGN THAT SAYS NO
NEED TO DISPLAY RECEIPT.
WELL, JUST A LITTLE WHILE AGO WE
DID RUN INTO A DRIVER WHO GOT A
TICKET ANYWAY EVEN THOUGH HE
DIDN’T DISPLAY THE RECEIPT.
SO THEY MAY HAVE TO WORK OUT
SOME OF THE KINKS.
THIS IS JUST THE TRIAL PROGRAM.
IN QUEENS.
AS WE MENTIONED THEY’RE STARTING
IT IN UPPER MANHATTAN IN MAY,
WORKING IT DOWN THE UPPER EAST