Council approves bill to close muni meter off time loopholes

The City Council unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that closes the loopholes for the 13,000 muni meters located in the five boroughs.

In the past, when a meter was malfunctioning or when parking rules aren't in effect it would still accept money. Now those meters will shut off and not accept payments during off times.

"It is a way to stop the New York gotcha," City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said.

The devices won't not only cease to accept coins or credit cards, it will also display a message when it is off time or malfunctioning. Quinn said once the bill is signed, the newer machines in the outer boroughs will be reprogrammed instantly to adapt to the changes while meters located in Manhattan will take longer to reprogram since they are older machines..

The bill also allows drivers to put money on the meter one-hour before parking rules go into effect. The bill's sponsor, City Councilman David Greenfield, said this feature would be beneficial to early bird New Yorkers who are too busy to run back to their car when the rules take effect.

"This important legislation will help eliminate unfair tickets for drivers and represents an important step toward fixing our parking system," he said.