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Councilmember raises concerns over broken parking kiosks and reliance on mobile-payment apps
Summary
Councilmember Christopher Harsh warned that broken parking kiosks and mandatory app-based payments unfairly burden seniors and those without smartphones, and flagged data-breach and privacy risks tied to ParkMobile and vendor Flowbird.
Councilmember Christopher Harsh used the miscellaneous portion of the meeting to press the administration on downtown parking-meter operations and the city's reliance on private mobile-payment platforms.
Harsh described three incidents: (1) kiosks malfunctioning after snow and the cash option being unusable; (2) meter-enforcement officers issuing tickets where cash kiosks were inoperable and directing drivers to a judge who would require use of an app; and (3) an elderly resident with a flip phone who could not pay by app and received a ticket. "I do not think that the city should compel residents to download third party apps and volunteer our data to these companies just to park on a public street," Harsh said, urging the council to reconsider whether cash-payment options remain operational and to review contract performance with vendors.
Harsh also raised privacy and security concerns about ParkMobile, noting a 2021 data breach that exposed user data and that ParkMobile shares data with advertisers. He named Flowbird as the kiosk vendor and said the company has large numbers of inoperable kiosks in other cities. Councilmembers indicated they would raise the issue with relevant departments and consider follow-up conversations with the administration and vendor representatives.
No ordinance or formal action related to parking payments was introduced at the meeting; councilmembers requested administrative follow-up to ensure cash-payment options remain available and to review vendor performance and data-sharing practices.
