(Washington, DC) – The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is launching a series of new parking pilot programs, in an effort to improve service for motorists across the city. In the coming months, DDOT will test out multiple systems from a variety of vendors, including pay-by-space parking and sensors that can detect when a space is occupied or vacant.

“The technology on the street today is amazing, and it’s constantly getting even more sophisticated,” said DDOT Director Gabe Klein, “But there are a lot of choices and we want to make sure we pick the right solutions to improve the parking experience in our city.”

DDOT is partnering with 2 vendors to provide “pay-by-space” parking in different commercial areas of the city. Multi-space meters will be installed in the pilot zones and motorists will enter the number of the space they parked in when they pay. Small sensors will also be imbedded in the parking spaces to detect if they are occupied, information that could be used to help motorists find parking.

In a third pilot, drivers will enter their license plate numbers in multi-space meters, and parking enforcement officers will be able to tell who has paid for parking by reading the tag numbers with handheld or car-mounted devices.

DDOT is also launching a new pay-by-cell pilot that will cover approximately 1,000 metered spaces in Foggy Bottom, on Reservoir Road in Georgetown, and around Nationals Park in Southeast DC. To use the system, drivers can sign up at www.parkmobile.com, where they can also download a mobile application to pay for parking from a smart phone.

All of these new pilot programs are expected to be operational by July 19 and will be evaluated for 90 days to help DDOT develop a long range strategy to upgrade its parking equipment and payment systems.

DDOT launched another pay by phone pilot in April and already more than 3,200 people have used the service which is offered at 700 spaces around Dupont Circle, Union Station, and downtown on K Street, I Street, and New York Avenue, NW. Motorists can sign up for that service, which is offered by Verrus Mobile Technologies, Inc., at paybyphone.com or by calling 1-888-510-PARK (7275).

The department is also currently testing solar-powered single space meters that take credit cards as well as coins. The public can provide feedback on any of these pilot programs by sending an email to ddot@dc.gov or by calling 202-673-6813.