The city of Cincinnati this week will unveil a new kind of parking meter — good news for everyone who's ever scrambled to find coins and bad news for anyone who's enjoyed temporary “free” parking on Third Street.

New kind of parking meter on Third Street. (Steven M. Herppich photos) | ZOOM |

Put in money, get a paper receipt to display on the dash. | ZOOM |

        Both are over.

        Two new "Park and Pay” machines, part of a six-month test program, have been installed on Third between Vine and Walnut, a one-block stretch overlooking Fort Washington Way.

        Here's how they work: Users can put coins or dollar bills into the “stations” for a receipt noting the time the amount expires. The motorist then displays the receipt on the dashboard.

        Two machines cover the whole block.

        They will go into effect as soon as signs are installed, possibly by today, according to Chuck Cullen, city parking superintendent.

        The key feature is that the Park and Pays, unlike regular meters, take dollar bills. Similar units have been installed in New York City, Denver, Miami and Aspen, Colo.

        “It reduces urban clutter,” Mr. Cullen said. “We spent a lot of money on the riverfront, and want it to look the best possible. That's why we chose Third Street as the test area. If they work out, we could go to more.”

        The Park and Pays, which are solar-powered, cost the city $11,000 per unit. Regular dual-meter poles are about $500.

PAY AND PARK

The upside   • Accept dollar bills   • Allow for more parking spots per block   The downside   • You have to walk to machine, then back to car to place receipt on dashboard   • If you lose receipt or it slides off dashboard, you're out of luck   The city parking department encourages public input. For comments on Park and Pay meters, call (513) 352-1902.

        When new brick sidewalks were installed as part of the Fort Washington Way spruce-up, no meters went in, so the block was essentially free parking from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. No parking is allowed during rush hours, 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.

        There are 42,590 parking spots downtown, from 12th Street to the Ohio River, of which 2,255 are on-street meters. But stadium construction has squeezed many lower-downtown spots.

        The rules are the same as with regular meters, including the two-hour limit and 25 cents for 20 minutes charge.

        For all of this, blame Carl Magee of Oklahoma.

        He invented coin-operated parking meters, which debuted on May 13, 1935.

        We've been getting nickel-and-dimed ever since.
       

Gov. Rhodes dies
Highs and lows of Rhodes' career
Online classes give busy students an edge
Charters keep more pupils
City law on racial profiling starts to gel
Meters dispense parking coupons
More colleges offering remedial classes
What Tristate colleges offer
Regional campuses create computer degree
Hotel for pets is no fleabag
Fire hits Newport city garage
Insurers battle cancer proposal
Lecturer calls for action to relieve global warming
Local Digest
McConnell pushes for 'clean coal'
Springfield swim club to reopen by late May
State awaits school feedback
You asked for it