Anyone who has used a paid parking lot knows the anxiety of standing in a long line at checkout, hoping to beat the maid back to the meter and avoid a parking ticket.

Thanks to a new partnership between the City of Kirkland and PayByPhone, the first of its kind on the Eastside, those anxieties can be a thing of the past — all you need is a smartphone.

The PayByPhone option doesn’t replace the old pay-at-the-kiosk system, but gives users the ability to refill the meter while standing in line, getting a shave or sipping a latte.

“We’re just trying to offer another convenient way for people to park downtown,” said Steven Padua, a transportation planner with the City of Kirkland. “Having to pay for parking is one complaint we’ve heard in the past.”

Padua said the city is hoping the ease of PayByPhone will help alleviate the downtown parking crunch, which has worsened since the Antique Mall lot was closed this summer for redevelopment. The city is down to about 150 paid parking spaces between the lot on Lake Street and the lot near Marina Park, in addition to the free public parking garage under the Kirkland Library.

PayByPhone is based in British Columbia and San Francisco and has major cities like the Paris and London as clients, and typically spreads to surrounding municipalities once a large city has come on board. PayByPhone CEO Kush Parikh is a 10-year Kirkland resident and lives in the downtown area within walking distance of both paid lots.

“The last thing I want is an alternative service [in Kirkland],” Kush said.

Many Kirklanders may already have a use for PayByPhone, as it’s the same service used by Seattle. It’s a free app that charges per use, but allows users to use a credit card and add time to the meter as needed.

“It’s convenient for a variety of reasons, because you pay with your mobile phone,” Kush said. “If it’s a cold or rainy day, you don’t have to come back to your car.”

Kush said PayByPhone is currently talking with other cities on the Eastside about adding the mobile service, but Kirkland was a good first step because of the tech-savvy environment.

Though the system went live the week of Nov. 14, the city doesn’t plan a large publicity campaign until early December to give city staff a chance to work out the kinks.