Something new under the sun

Coun. Mike Anthony looks on as North Bay Mayor Vic Fedeli uses his credit card in a new pay and park machine officially unveiled Thursday on Main Street. Photo by Phil Novak, BayToday.ca.

There's something new under the sun on Main Street: solar-powered parking machines.

The machines, officially unveiled Thursday, replace parking meters along Main in the downtown core, and also allow the use of credit cards.

They're also environmentally friendly, since they don't require the double-'A' batteries the city's conventional meters do.

Coun. Mike Anthony, who presided over the unveiling, said there will be reduced enforcement along Main Street for a week or so to allow people to get used to the new system.

"It will also allow our enforcement personnel to exercize discretion if someone says they were only a minute or two late returning to their vehicles because the parking tags will show that," Anthony said.

As well, buying a ticket from the machine will allow someone to park at different locations on Main without having to pay again as long as there's still time left on their tickets.

Anthony also said the city will increase its funding to the Business Improvement Area through parking revenue from $5,000 to $20,000.

Parking on Main Street has become a little more expensive, though, Anthony said, having been raised to $1.25 an hour from $1, "our first increase in five years."