Borough to Roll out Pay-by-Plate Parking Sept. 6

Collingswood residents, visitors, and business owners: after Labor Day, you will have one less about which to complain.

That’s because, starting September 6, the borough is in favor of a system that allows users simply to type in their license plate numbers to pay for parking.*

“You can pay without having to rush back to your parking space if you run out of time,” said Chief Richard Sarlo in a borough-issued statement.

“Pay-by-plate allows people to ‘top up’ their time from anywhere.”

The kiosks only date back to 2010, but these improvements should make them seem outdated beyond even those two scant years. The new system notifies parking enforcement staff in real-time which cars’ meters have expired.

Borough leaders are also taking a look at cell-phone- and smart-card-based payment systems that would allow shoppers and diners “to purchase more time without ever leaving a store or restaurant,” the announcement says.

Until then, cash or a credit card is required to pay the 50¢-per-hour fee from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. along Haddon Avenue.

Traditional coin meters are still in use throughout the borough: beyond Powell Lane and Fern Avenue, in the and Atlantic Ave lots, and underneath the PATCO High Speedline.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: For those who still prefer to use the paper-ticket-on-dashboard system, the kiosks will still offer this option.