Parking meter

A traditional style parking meter

A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by Municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street parking policy, usually related to their traffic and mobility management policies.

History

The Parking meter concept was invented by Carl Magee. The world's first installed parking meter was in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on July 16, 1935. Industrial production started in 1936 and expanded until the mid 80's. The first models were based on a coin acceptor, a dial to engage the mechanism and a visible pointer and flag to indicate expiration of payed period.

This configuration lasted for more than 40 years, only with a few changes on the exterior design, like the double headed version and the incorporation of new materials and production techniques. Also, the parking meter aspect changed troughout the various decades along the design trends of street furniture.

In the mid 80's, a digital version was introduced, replacing the mechanical parts by electronic components: boards, keyboards and displays. This added various new possibilities to the meter, like programing various and complex tariffs into an EEPROM memory chip that could easily be replaced, as well as accepting payments with more than one coin.

In the beginning of the 90's, the parking meter had sold millions of units around the world, but the market was already looking into new solutions, like the colective pay and display machines and new forms of payment that appeared along with electronic money and communication tecnhologies. As a result, the parking meter industry has entered a period of decline and is now limited to a very narrow market.

Design

Parking meters are usually relatively small boxes attached to the top of a sturdy metal pole.

Parking meters are usually seen along the curb of a street, but are sometimes used within parking garages as well.

Security issues

They are exposed to the elements and to vandals so protection of the device and its cash contents is a priority.

Some cities have learned the hard way that these machines must be upgraded regularly to keep up with the creativity of vandals. In Berkeley, California, the "chopped off" remains of meter poles were a common sight during the 1990s, and parking was largely free (and chaotic) throughout the city until the government installed digital parking meters with very thick poles in 2000.

Operation

By inserting coins into a currency detector slot or swiping a credit card or smartcard into a slot, and turning a handle (or pressing a key), a timer is set within the meter. Some places allow payment by mobile phone (to remotely record payments for subsequent checking and enforcement). A dial or display on the meter indicates how much time is remaining.

In many cities, all parking meters are designed to use only one coin. If you try to use other coins, the meters will not work and may cease to function altogether. For example, in Hackensack, New Jersey all parking meters are desigened for quarters only.

Alternatives

Alternatives to parking meters are pay and display machines (for dashboard display of proof of payment until a certain hour) and machines to accept and electronically record payment by stall number, (known in New York City as the Muni Meter). An experimental progrram in Houston, Texas was introduced response to a revised city ordinance for Saturday-enforced metered parking.

Trivia

In the introductory scene of the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, Luke is sent to a prison camp for cutting the heads off of parking meters while drunk.

See also

• Pay and display
• Parking attendant

External links

• U.S. patent 2,118,318 - Coin controlled parking meter
• The Parking Meter Page
• Articles from the Wausau Daily Herald
• Metergate from the SF Times (archived)
• Brink's 1978 parking meter theft