New Law Ends Muni-Meter Waiting Game
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A new city law allows drivers to prepay one hour before muni-meters go into effect so that they don't have to sit in their cars watching the clock tick.
"Let's say you're going to a doctor's appointment or you're taking your kid to school and the meter starts at 8:30 in the morning and you get there at 8:15, well, up until now, you have to wait until 8:30 to actually get the receipt," said Councilman David Greenfield, who sponsored the legislation passed in June 2013. "What my law does is it allows you to get the receipt an hour before to prepay that muni-meter."
The new law also requires parking meters to shut themselves off at the end of their posted hours of service and when they run out of receipt paper.
"Big frustration of mine personally: So you've got four quarters in your pocket, you throw it in the meter and you're waiting for the receipt, but the receipt never comes out. And now you've lost your money because there's no paper," Greenfield said. "First of all, you don't have your quarters anymore, and second, good luck getting your dollar back from the city of New York."
The law will go into full effect July 1. Meters in some neighborhoods, however, have already been reprogrammed.