From Coins To A Credit Card, Myrtle Beach Goes High Tech

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) Come March 1st of this year 82 new parking meters will be installed along 8th and 9th Avenues North in Myrtle Beach, and these meters aren't just accepting change, but a credit card as payment. These meters will be the first of its kind in the Grand Strand.

The Executive Assistant with the Downtown Redevelopment Corporation, Lauren Clever, said it's all about the convenience for customers, "We are moving forward as technology changes which happens on a regular basis. We are trying to keep up with that."

When swiping a credit card at these new meters there will be a fee added on to the card. No word yet from officials on the exact amount that it will place on the card holder.

These new meters are said to cost the city $42,000. For those visiting from out of state like, Davis Dixon, from North Carolina these meters are worth it, "I think it's a good idea I really, honestly do because parking is a premium down here, and you don't always have the correct change."

Like Dixon Pam Mcelroy agrees, she is visiting from Ohio where she used a similar machine. "In Columbus we have a big outdoor mall, it's Easton. There they have parking meters where you can swipe your card. I went there to eat and I didn't have any cash on me so it was really nice because I had my debit card and I just swiped it and it worked out great," explains Mcelroy.

The gross revenue from the parking meters averages about $1.2 million a year about 200,000 of that money goes to the Downtown Redevelopment Corporation to be used for operations, projects and maintenance throughout the city.

The city tested the new meters in 2012 to see how affective they could be.

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