Following the recent trend of debit and gift cards, the Pittsburgh Parking Authority has… Following the recent trend of debit and gift cards, the Pittsburgh Parking Authority has issued a card of their own: the Park Card.

The Park Card, the newest technological advancement for parking meters is a plastic card that drivers can use to buy time on meters in place of quarters.

“[Parking meters] are not pedestrian anymore, they’re high-tech,” said Anthony Boule, the director of administration for the Pittsburgh Parking Authority.

The Park Card, which is available only in a $20 increment, is used much like a charge card.

Slide the card into the slot on any gold-domed meter in the city and the meter’s display will flash the card’s value four times. After flashing the value, the meter will automatically begin to deduct money from the card’s account.

If a card is left in the meter for more than 60 seconds, the digital display will flash, “out of order” until the card is removed.

Using a Park Card in a meter does not allow a driver to park longer than the meter’s time limit. If a meter has a two-hour time limit, the driver can be ticketed if he parks longer than two hours.

The Park Card system “will not replace quarters,” according to Boule. All meters that accept the Park Card still accept coins. The Park Card can be used in conjunction with coins. For example, if a driver has only $1 remaining on his card, he can add quarters to purchase additional time.

Although the cards have no expiration dates, they are not rechargeable.

The cards, which sell for $20, can be purchased in more than 20 locations throughout Oakland, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and Downtown. In addition, cards can be purchased on the Internet by logging onto www.pittsburghparkcard.com.

Boule said the locations of Park Card vendors have been “strategically placed” in order to increase foot traffic to local businesses.

The Pitt Shop on Forbes Avenue in Oakland is the nearest place in Pitt to buy Park Cards.

Park Cards have actually been around since 1999, when pilot studies were carried out in order to determine the system’s feasibility. Since that time, the number of meters employing the Park Card technology has reached nearly 2,000.

“This is a movement into the 21st century,” Boule said.