Chapel Hill residents and UNC students alike will be happy to know that the university is replacing its old parking meters with new digital ones.

Not only are the new meters solar-powered, they will also provide more payment options by accepting both coins and credit cards. In addition, the meters can connect to the phone app Parkmobile, which allows users to pay on their cell phones and even add more time to the meter. The installation of the new meters is part of the university’s five year plan (2011-2016) to improve transportation and parking.

UNC’s director of transportation and parking, Cheryl Stout, described the new meters’ relation to the department’s plan as a whole.

“The new meters tie into our overall parking data management system and will help us understand which spaces are being used most frequently and the peak times they are used,” said Stout. “We can understand more about our parking capacity and what we’re likely to need down the road.”

Several new meters have already been installed around UNC. Other high-traffic areas of the campus will be equipped throughout the summer.

The university’s five-year plan contains other facets to expand transportation and parking services to increase revenue. A complete outline of the plan is available on the UNC website.

Digital meters are becoming more common in towns across the United States, particularly on college campuses. UNC is just one of the latest universities to follow the trend. The new meters already exist in downtown Chapel Hill.

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