Parking meters are not a factor in my small town life, but every time I come across one of those "feed me your coins" relics, I marvel at how slowly some municipal governments are moving toward "smart" meters that accept credit cards.

I know ... why should meter management be any different from other aspects of government?!  Precisely because 21st Century technology makes possible a new breed of smart meters that are easy to use, easy to manage, efficient, and fair both to drivers and the jurisdictions that install them. That must be why parking meters that take credit cards … as well as the old-fashioned dimes and quarters … are being tried in cities like New York, Milwaukee, and Philly, as well as in many other locations.

Even a village not too far from where I live is planning to replace the traditional, individual parking meters in its "downtown business district" with high-tech multi-space machines that take coins, bills, and credit cards. The more aesthetically pleasing new machines will lead to less meter-clutter on the streets.

For municipalities, fewer coins means less frequent emptying and therefore, greatly reduced collection costs. Also, newer machines mean fewer breakdowns and less vandalism. For drivers, credit card convenience is the key selling point. Who wants to have to dig around for loose change, especially when they&39;re in a hurry? 

Unfortunately, some of the systems being tested seem unnecessarily cumbersome and costly. For example, in Boston, you had to get a credit card receipt, then return to your car and, using the "sticky tape" on it, paste the receipt onto the inside of your windshield. Other cities and towns just require that the receipt be displayed, but either way, it seems to me that there has to be a better ... a 21st century ... way!

Another problem with the Boston meters was discovered by The Boston Globe: The machines were in violation of MasterCard and Visa&39;s rules. While merchants accepting credit cards cannot require that purchases be above a certain price, Boston had set a $2 minimum when paying with plastic. While you&39;d think Boston could work this problem out, when last I heard, the meters had been set to cash only.

Back when they were accepting plastic in Beantown, some of the issues the new meters raise for drivers became clear:

1. It&39;s no longer possible to use up the time left on the meter by the last car.
2. They don&39;t make change. So if you&39;ll only need 15 minute&39;s worth of time, you had better dig for that quarter, or you&39;ll be paying for time you won&39;t need. 
3. It continues to be a pain to try to get a machine to accept a buck. In Boston&39;s case, that means that some people gave up and fed the machines plastic, so they paid $2 for what otherwise would have cost them 25 cents.

Leave It to Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills and West Hollywood worked out a great deal, where they get to test solar-powered, wireless meters for six months before they actually have to buy them. These meters fit right onto the already existing poles and may actually help to reduce traffic congestion, because they warn drivers that it&39;s against the law to park at them during rush hour. Now that&39;s smart.

The meters are also smart but less driver-friendly, in Milwaukee, where the meter minders get updated reports … so they know which cars to ticket. Makes more sense, I guess, than having to place a receipt just-so in a car, but still … this is the 21st Century! Why are we ticketing people for such minor traffic infractions when we have so many more important problems to address?

Seems to me that we&39;d all be better off with smart parking meters that charge our credit cards for the time we use -- once we drive away. No more meter maids! No more tickets!

Are high-tech parking meters already in place where you live? What do you see as their pros and cons?

Nancy Castleman – Co-author of "Invest in Yourself: Six Secrets to a Rich Life" and founder of Good Advice Press. Nancy has spent the last 23 years teaching people how to get out of debt, save money, and live better on less. She writes on all these subjects for CreditBloggers.com.