NYC To Transition to Pay-by-Plate Parking Meters

The new meters eliminate paper receipts and provide real-time data to enforcement agents.

1 minute read

April 11, 2024, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


New York City electronic parking meter.

New parking meter in New York City. | NYC DOT / Parking meter

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) revealed new, upgraded parking meters that use a paperless pay-by-plate system to eliminate the need for printed receipts.

According to a press release from DOT, “The upgraded meters will also help provide more short-term parking by improving parking enforcement. The meters will provide real-time data to NYPD traffic enforcement agents to help ensure vehicles don’t overstay the meter.”

Parking meters throughout the city will be changed out starting May 8 in the north side of the city and moving south. “Throughout the city, parking meters issue approximately eight miles of paper receipts daily. The length of receipt rolls printed annually totals roughly 2,500 miles, the distance between New York City and Los Angeles. Transitioning to the Pay-by-Plate model curbs the carbon footprint, lessens maintenance and repair requirements, and contributes to cleaner streets with reduced litter.”

The new system will prevent transferring parking time by moving paper receipts to a different car or area.

Monday, April 8, 2024 in New York City Department of Transportation

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.