The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 39, September 11, 2005, Article 22

ELECTRONICS TAKING OVER PARKING METERS

Although coins and tokens are still used in most parking
meters, a recent Associated Press article from Pacific Grove,
CA describes a number of ways that electronics is being
integrated into these once-simple devices:

"In this seaside town, parking meters don't grant those
magical few minutes on someone else's dime. Each time a
car pulls away from a space, the meter automatically
resets to zero.

Little is left to chance in the brave new world of parking
technology: Meters are triggered by remote sensors,
customers pay for street time by cell phone and solar-
powered vending machines create customized parking
plans for the motorist.

Oh, and forget about rubbing the traffic officer's chalk
mark off your tires on the streets of cities where short-term
parking is free but overstays are punished by fines."

"Pacific Grove, a coastal resort town where visitors to the
nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium and Pebble Beach golf
course compete with locals for the few oceanside spaces,
went for the gold when it went digital last year.

It installed meters that increase parking fees over time,
so that quick errands remain relatively inexpensive but
long stays become more costly.

A wire grid under the pavement triggers a sensor whenever
a car pulls in. The information can be sent wirelessly via
radio signals to traffic enforcers so they'd know when time
runs out on any parking spot in town. The meter resets itself
as soon as the car pulls away, so the next car has to pay
the full fee.

"Today's meters are little computers," said Ross Hubbard,
a former Pacific Grove city councilman who advocated
for the switch. "

To read the complete story, see: Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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