NEWPORT BEACH
Despite complaints by parking control officers, store owners and tourists, the city will continue its 90-day trial of “smart” parking meters.
The city will, however, rewrite the directions on the meters because many motorists do not understand them, said Rich Edmonston, the city’s traffic engineer.
The meters, installed three weeks ago on Balboa Boulevard near Newport Pier, do not allow people to feed coins after the one-hour limit has expired. The meters sense when a car leaves the space, and then reset the timer.
The city installed the new meters to discourage beach visitors from parking in the spaces all day. The problem is, store owners are upset that their customers don’t have more time to shop. And tourists don’t understand how the meters work.
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