New Parking Technology

"Meet LUKE" Step by Step Instructions for ON STREET parking 

One piece of feedback that we often hear at Park Cedar Rapids is that many people just don’t carry change anymore, making it difficult to pay for on-street parking in a metered space. We’ve listened to your feedback and are excited to announce the newest member of our Park Cedar Rapids team, “LUKE.”

LUKE is our new multi-space parking pay station. You’ll see 40 LUKE pay stations in downtown Cedar Rapids and each LUKE will replace 6-8 regular, coin-only meters. There will be about one LUKE pay station per block face and LUKE offers a full range of payment options, including credit cards, debit cards and coins. All of the new meters, named LUKE by the manufacturer Digital Payment Technologies, are completely powered by solar panels that recharge an internal battery, ensuring a reliable and sustainable system.

Step 1: Look for Your Space Number

When you pull into a parking space in downtown Cedar Rapids, the first thing you should do is look to see if your space has a traditional coin meter or a sign that indicates a space number. If your space has a traditional coin meter, please go ahead and pay the meter. If your space has a number like this, please make note of your space number. You should also note the length of stay allowed at the meter (For example: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours).

Also important to note: blue space signs indicate handicapped-accessible parking only.

Each space number will also include wording that will direct you to the nearest LUKE pay station as well as the time limits allowed for the individual space.  Time limits vary through out the city (For example: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours) 

Step 2: Enter Your Space Number

After "waking up" the LUKE meter, the next screen will ask you to enter your space number. Remember, this is the number located on the sign that was located in front of your parking space. The space signs are double-sided for customer convenience. Enter your space number and then hit "OK."

Step 3: "Purchase Ticket" or "Add More Time"

You will then be given two options: 1) Purchase Ticket or 2) Add More Time. If you are initially purchasing time for your space, press 1; if you would like to add more time, press 2.

Step 4: Insert Payment After selecting Option 1) Credit/Cash 

* Note coupon users are given multiple options for determining their purchase if you are interested in setting up a coupon validation for LUKE please contact the Park Cedar Rapids office. 

As you deposit coins time will be added to your space until you reach your desired amount of time or the maximum amount of time allowed for that space.

• Using Coins: If using the coin payment option, simply add coins until the desired amount is reached.

• Using Credit or Debit: If you choose to use the credit or debit card option, please insert and remove your card quickly in the same manner that you would use the credit card reader at a gas station. Once the card has been inserted and removed, you will be automatically credited the one hour of time for the minumum purchase, follow the prompts to increase the lenght of stay to the desired amount of time.  The price per hour varies throughout downtown but most on-street spaces are generally 90 cents/hour and of-street spaces are 60 cents/hour. PLEASE NOTE: The credit/debit card option can only be used on transactions with a minumm of one hour purchase. 

• PaybyPhone: Another feature is the ability to paybyphone using a smart phone app or toll free number.  For information on setting up a Pay by Phone account visit:http://paybyphone.com/

Step 5: Optional Receipt is available 

When your transaction is complete, LUKE will print a receipt when prompted by selecting the"OK" button confirming the space reservation. Your interaction with LUKE is now complete. You do not need to return to your vehicle nor place the receipt in your dash. All you need to do is pocket the receipt for your own records or deposit the unneeded receipt in a recycling bin.

Adding More Time

If you would like to add more time to your stay, you can use any LUKE pay station throughout downtown to add more time - as long as you are within your allowed length of stay and your original amount of time has not expired. All you need is your original space number to enter at the LUKE meter to add more time.