No Coins Needed

When Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, installed the Park-O-Meter No. 1, invented by Carl Magee (a former newspaper reporter, ahem), on First Street and Robinson Avenue in July 1935, it was a marvel. You stuck in a nickel and got an hour of parking time, no attendant needed, no fuss.

The History Channel website notes that the use of the first parking meter prompted “immediate debate over the pros and cons of coin-regulated parking. Indignant opponents of the meters considered paying for parking un-American, as it forced drivers to pay what amounted to a tax on their cars, depriving them of their money without due process of law.”

But, as is usually the case, the marketplace spoke loudest: Store owners loved the way they regulated the cars, and the turnover meant new customers. Within a decade, the website notes, there were more than 140,000 meters throughout the country.

It’s funny to think of parking meters as “new technology,” but they once were, and innovative enough that the design has barely changed in the 85 years since their debut. Alas, it could soon be twilight for the parking meter — and East Hampton and Sag Harbor villages will help escort it into retirement, with Southampton Village perhaps joining them.

There are scores of parking apps that offer all kinds of perks, to both drivers and host municipalities. Some will allow a space to be reserved in advance via smartphone. But the key point is that fishing around for coins is no longer necessary — nor is the decidedly analog team of parking enforcers chalking tires to keep track of how long cars have been parked. The villages will collect proceeds, and a diner or shopper whose meter is running low will simply need to pull out their phone to address the matter.

This is a good thing, and it’s wonderful that several South Fork villages are looking to coordinate and share a single app, considering the confusion that could result if each went with a different app. The use of parking apps will save manpower and money, and they will bring a steady stream of revenue — so much that Mayor Jerry Larsen believes East Hampton Village’s sewer project might be paid for with the proceeds, an aspirational notion that begs some numbers to back it up but would be a potential game-changer.

It’s important to remember the point of meters, and apps, is not solely to make money — it’s to keep spaces from being occupied for long hours at a time when new shoppers and diners are desperate to park and unload their wallets. There needs to be a balance between allowing people enough time to enjoy a leisurely visit (or, say, watch an entire movie in a theater uninterrupted, something impossible to do in East Hampton without risking a ticket) and nudging them to move along and make room for others after a reasonable amount of time.

The apps are a tool, not a solution in and of themselves. Designing a parking rules for lots and street spaces, with varying terms in different locations, is a heavy lift. It’s encouraging that both Mayor Larsen and Sag Harbor Village Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy are leading exactly those conversations, with consideration given to full-time residents and workers who might need a little more time but also shouldn’t be taking up prime spots.

Next summer could be the start of a new era: Carl Magee’s 20th century wonder might finally be mothballed, and an exciting new technology to manage parking will arrive — just in time for self-driving cars.