BLOOMINGTON – The City of Bloomington Parking Services Division invites residents, visitors, downtown employees, and business owners to test two parking payment systems as the City evaluates updates to its parking technology.
The two kiosk systems, IPS and Flowbird, are candidates to replace parking meters throughout the city. They are available for hands-on testing at the Parking Services office, located at 206 S. Walnut Street. Members of the public may test each system in person and complete a short on-site survey about their experience. The Parking Services office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on City-observed holidays. Testing does not require an appointment and is available through mid-August.
The payment system review is part of the City’s ongoing work to implement findings from the Parking Rate Study and Comprehensive Review, completed by Walker Consultants in June 2026. The assessment evaluated Bloomington’s policies, operations, technology, communications, branding, and wayfinding. Walker’s review found that Bloomington’s existing on-street meter technology is beyond its expected service life and recommended that the City transition to updated systems.
The Comprehensive Review included public listening sessions, stakeholder meetings, and a community survey that received more than 1,500 responses. Participants identified several areas for improvement, including payment options, signage, garage awareness, customer experience, and the overall clarity of Bloomington’s parking system.
“The goal is to make parking simple,” said Michelle Wahl, Director of Parking Services. “Testing these systems gives residents and visitors a chance to help us evaluate which potential system best supports that experience before the City makes decisions about next steps.”
The payment system testing is an early implementation step following the Walker review. The City will continue seeking community input before finalizing broader parking system changes. Additional engagement is expected to include focus groups, stakeholder conversations, and outreach to residents, downtown businesses, employees, visitors, and other parking system users.
More information about Bloomington Parking Services is available at bloomington.in.gov/parking.
