City installed new way to charge in downtown parking ramps

City paid $450,000 for parking gates around 3 years ago.

By now, you may have seen those new machines installed in downtown La Crosse parking ramps.

They’re not ready to be used yet, but if you’re eager to learn how they work, city parking utility coordinator Jim Flottmeyer tries to explain.

“If you’re an hourly parker, what you’ll do is go to one of the machines in the ramps, type in your license plate and tell the machine how long you anticipate you being there,” Flottmeyer said.

Police vehicles will routinely go through the ramps, checking on license plates parking too long, just as they do on the street.

“The enforcement vehicles will go through with the camera and they’ll read the license plate,” Flottmeyer explained. “The software communicates with the enforcement vehicle to tell it that (the car’s) license plate is in the machine. (It’s) paid for (its) time. (It’s) fine.”

Flottmeyer says there’s no firm date for switching on those machines, and getting rid of the current ticket gates in the ramps, which cost the city around $450,000 about three years ago.

It’s more about simply having the machines in the ramps for now, apparently.

“Kind of just let them sit there, so people can see where they are,” Flottmeyer said. “Get an idea that they’re coming and then it’ll make the transition smoother when you do make them operational.”

The machines will only be used by drivers needing hourly parking. People who already have permits for ramp spaces will be allowed to park without stopping at those machines.