Santa Monica Exploring Residential Parking Meter Pilot Program

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — Santa Monica city officials are exploring a pilot program that would add parking meters to some residential streets near businesses, the Santa Monica Daily Press reports.

The proposed program, discussed during Wednesday's city council meeting, would place some of the city's 350 new meters into residential areas in hopes of preventing visitors from parking deeper into neighborhoods.

Residents with preferential parking permits would be exempt from the meters.

The meters would line streets off of commercial avenues such as Wilshire, Lincoln and Santa Monica boulevards, the paper reported.

"It would just be really inconvenient for our guests to come down here . . .  they'd have to pay every two hours," resident Carla Stangle said.

Many residents said they are against the meters and think they could push more people to park in their neighborhoods.

"I definitely think it would be an eyesore and then you got the guy coming in to collect the change making more noise," one resident said.

"The city already makes so much money in parking tickets and meters, I don't think there's need for any more," Stangle said.

The pilot program would last between three and six months. A date for implementation has not been set.

The residential meter pilot program is not the first time the city of Santa Monica has tried to regulate parking.

In May 2012, the city installed more than 6,000 new solar powered parking meters with ground sensors that only accept payment for the allotted time limit.

The meters, which were expected to raise up to $1.7 million for the city, also reset to zero the minute a car leaves a space.

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