Town of Brookline, MA Deploys Single-Space Meters from IPS Group, Inc.

IPS Group, Inc. announced the deployment of 400 IPS parking meters in the Town of Brookline. Following the successful trial of IPS credit card-enabled single-space parking meters, Brookline replaced the city's multi-space paystations with IPS meters. The meters for the trial, which was conducted in order to gauge public acceptance of the new meters, were provided at no cost by IPS. Brookline Town Administrator, Melvin Kleckner stated, "We do not want to make the same mistake twice." Some of the multi-space stations were removed from service and sold to help pay for the new IPS meters.

The unpopular paystations were confusing for the public and poorly suited for Brookline's harsh winters as motorists often had to stand in line to pay for parking, and then walk back to their vehicle to place the receipt on the dash. The new IPS meters offer additional payment options such as credit/debit cards, coins, tokens, and smart cards so drivers can simply park, pay and go. In addition, the visual enforcement capabilities of the meters promote more efficient and convenient enforcement.

For the Town, replacing the paystations with IPS meters has resulted in fewer contested parking citations. Furthermore, in the event of a meter malfunction, only one space is impacted as compared to multiple spaces with a paystation, reducing the impact on revenue. Frank Del Monaco, General Manager/Director of Sales East Coast for IPS adds, "The solar-powered meters seamlessly retrofit into existing meter housings and do not require any additional civil work, installation of wireless network infrastructure, or signage for the motorists offering the least intrusive impact on the public, as well as current meter operations."

Brookline's removal of multi-space paystations in favor of single-space meters reflects a growing trend seen in other cities such as Sarasota and Olympia. Not more than a year after their introduction, and at a significant cost to taxpayers, the City of Sarasota conceded that the multi-space paystations had been a mistake, and replaced their multi-space paystations with single-space meters after customer backlash and significant revenue losses reported by local businesses.

The transition to the new credit card-enabled meters has been well received in Brookline and may mark the beginning of the end for multi-space.

About IPS Group, Inc.

San Diego-based IPS Group, Inc. is a design, engineering and manufacturing company focused on low power wireless telecommunications and parking technologies. IPS manufactures locally in San Diego, CA and has been delivering world-class solutions to the telecommunications and parking industries for over 15 years. The company is best known for their patented credit card-enabled, solar powered single-space parking meter and web-based management system. For more information, please visit our website at www.ipsgroupinc.com.