Free parking until Mpls. meters fixed

Minneapolis is working to fix a software glitch that disabled 138 digital parking meter pay stations in downtown on Tuesday.

Until the pay stations are fixed, cars can park at corresponding spaces for free said Jon Wertjes, who is in charge of parking for the city's Public Works Department.

"The pay station that you see will say something like 'loading parameters,' and if you go to the pay station and you see that, you can park for free at the meters," Wertjes said. "But if they show up at the pay station and it says 'enter a space number,' then the meter is working."

Posted time limits for on-street parking still apply. Wertjes said the glitch occurred during a routine software update from the Canadian company Cale. Each pay station needs a manual software patch to fix the problem.

Crews will repair up to 40 pay stations Tuesday. The city expects all meters to return to normal by Wednesday afternoon. Minneapolis began the transition to digital parking meters in 2010. They allow drivers to pay using a credit card.

Wertjes said the city hasn't yet determined how much revenue it will lose due to the glitch.

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