I’ve had more than my fair share of parking issues since moving to DC, mostly because DC meters (in my humble opinion) are absurdly expensive and I rarely have a fist full of quarters in my change purse. (What do I have at all times? Spare bobby pins and a Hanson guitar pick- the ultimate conversation piece.)

A few hefty tickets later, I am thrilled to hear that DC has implemented a pilot program which lets drivers pay for their parking meters via cell phone.

In fact, you can even get text messages to update you when your time is about to expire.

To be able to do this, you register online, create an account that is linked to your credit card and when you park, you enter the meter number and indicate the amount of time you need.

Brilliant!

This is a great example of government using technology to make life easier, and I’m very excited to try it out.

What kind of government web 2.0 are you using? What is available in your area, or would you like to see put to use?