Residents of Madison may soon be able to use credit and debit cards to pay their parking meters.

The proposal by Madison's Parking Utility would allow people using the meters to type their parking stall number into a computer, which would keep track of time and eliminate the need for spare change.

City Council president Mike Verveer said he believes the proposal is a great step for the city of Madison.

"I am very much in support of this proposal. I think it will be a tremendous improvement in convenience for parking downtown," Verveer said. "In this day and age, more and more people leave their loose change at home and depend on plastic to charge things."

In order to test the effectiveness of the new parking system, the city had a pilot run last summer, which was very successful, according to Verveer.

"We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback," he said. "A number of people were disappointed when the old-fashioned meters were put back."

The summer pilot also allowed the city to test different options available in machinery. One of the original ideas involved drivers receiving a slip of paper from the computer to display in their car windows.

Verveer did say, however, many people thought it was inconvenient.

"What the staff is recommending is the version that does not require the driver to go back and put their receipt on the dashboard," he said.

Gary Poulson, member of the Madison Transit and Parking Commission, also believes the proposal would be a benefit for Madison.

"I think it's really good for the city to look at new innovations in parking meters," he said. "Hopefully it will hold the promise for future improvement of possibly paying via cell phone or with other electronic devices."

Poulson said although the initial cost of installing the new meters might be high, it would pay off in the long run due to lower upkeep costs.

"There's a cost for maintaining the old meters, and it makes sense to me to look into something that's a more modern mechanism," Poulson said.

Commission member Amanda White made the point that the new meters might also become a financial asset for Madison.

"I think it would definitely make parking more convenient for parkers, and it could help bring more people downtown if they feel that parking is easier. In that way, it really is a benefit," she said.

In order for work to start on installing the new meters, the proposal would first have to be approved at the Madison Transit and Parking Commission meeting Tuesday and would then be up for a vote at the City Council.

Verveer said he is optimistic about the proposal's prospects and that, if passed, installation of the meters would begin next year.