Motorists who for weeks tried to park at the recently designated "pay-by-phone" spots on Preston Street near Louisville Slugger Field may have experienced trouble finalizing the payment. But it wasn't user error.We told you about the new spots yesterday. They are the first designated parking spots in Louisville to require drivers to use a phone or have a credit or debit card to park. The pay parking spots have no meters and won't take coins.“It’s the wave of the future,” said Tiffany Smith, the director of Parking Authority of River City, or PARC. But there was an initial hitch that kept drivers from completing the payment process.The signs posted to tell motorists about the new pay-to-park situation provided inaccurate parking zone information to motorists who wished to use the spaces. The new spots were established about two weeks ago along a formerly free-to-park two-block stretch of Preston. Related: Where are Louisville's Most Ticketed Parking Meters?To park at the spots, a sign encouraged motorists to download a smartphone app and enter the provided parking zone number.But zone 746—the number on the signs—didn't work until today, said Tiffany Propes, a spokeswoman for PARC."There was some confusion," Propes said.The new system on the two-block stretch of Preston is part of thePassportprogram that allows drivers to pay by phone rather than with coins.
Motorists were supposed to type a zone number different from the one provided on the signs—but the issue was resolved today and drivers can now successfully use the zone number 746 to park in the new spaces, Propes said.However, another issue that may pop up for PARC officials is that the new spaces do not show up on the Passport app's map.
