Slow Adoption For SF's Pay-By-Phone Parking Meters

"As Elio Sciacqua raced from his work truck on Geary and 15th Avenue to pump change into his parking meter Thursday, one important detail scribed on the 4-foot post managed to miss his attention.

On the meter, surrounded by bright green borders, read the phrase, “Pay by phone & go! 1-866-490-PARK.”

“I had no idea you could pay for meters with your cell phone,” Sciacqua said. “I’m usually too busy to take the time to look.”

With Muni officials proposing a $10 increase in fines for overstaying meters — raising the cost to $60 in the downtown core and $50 everywhere else — convenient payment practices should be a top concern for city drivers, but like Sciacqua, many residents are unaware of a new pilot program that allows the purchase of meter minutes via cell phones."