<bt>The Arlington County treasurer has found a replacement for the Parkulator. The new device is an electronic card, similar to the old Parkulator, that works as a personal prepaid parking meter.
When parking on a street or in a public lot, identify the meter color associated with the space, turn on the device and lay it on the dashboard. Turn the card off when leaving the space. Users pay only for the time they have actually used. When the card runs out of prepaid parking, it can be recharged over the phone using a credit card. Unlike the Parkulator, which could be recharged only 16 times, the new card can be recharged up to 96 times — more than enough to last its estimated five-year lifetime.
Current plans call for the new gizmo to become operational in all juridictions in the Washington metro area.
The treasurer is asking the public to help name the new device. The names being considered are: Smart Park, Park O Meter, EZ Park, Park-N-Go, Park-A-Lot, Metro Park and iPark. Visit www.arlingtonva.us/departments/treasurer/parkvote.htm to cast a vote.