A French company has introduced smart parking meters that notify the police when time has expired -- good news for cash-strapped municipalities, but bad news for anyone out of pocket change.
The firm, Technolia, has seen about 60 cities in France adopt the smart meters, which send a message to a police control room if a car is parked in the spot beyond its allotted time. Magnetic fields created by the meters determine whether a vehicle is present.
In the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, according to a Times (U.K.) report, police on the beat are informed by cell phone 15 minutes after a meter has expired. This gives drivers some buffer time to escape without a ticket, and frees police from chasing down every possible infraction. The town found that 80 percent of cars remained parked for anywhere from 12 to 18 minutes after the meter expired.
The company wants to alert drivers too, by sending text messages to them a few minutes before meters expire. Those wanting to add some time could do so directly from their phone, rather than having to interrupt what they're doing and walk back to the car.
Many businesses favor stricter monitoring of area parking, because it helps ensure turnover of vehicles, which frees up spaces for new customers.
If the technology spreads to the U.S., small towns could benefit from the reduced cost of having "meter maids" constantly patrolling streets, and more efficient delivery of parking fines. Creating a more convenient way to pay for meter time would also drive up parking revenues. It is not clear what it costs to install the smart meters.
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