Editorial

We can’t help but wonder if Newport Beach’s new “smart” parking meters

could ultimately prove to be smarter than the idea behind them.

The meters being tested for three months along Balboa Boulevard do not

accept more coins until a car leaves the spot it is parked in. City

officials say this will create a constant flow of new precious parking

spots because drivers will no longer be able to feed meters for hours on

end.

Our worry, though, is that with these new clever contraptions, the

already frustrating task of finding parking in Newport Beach will get

even more frustrating -- even hazardous.

As many know, finding a prime spot near the water can be about as

exciting, and as rare, as striking gold.

But now, when beachgoers finally find an open space, it will be a

bittersweet victory.

The smart meters will force visitors to return when their meters are

up, not to feed more coins, but to actually move their cars, battle the

traffic and find new parking spots.

That is, only if tourist realize that the meters between Palm and Main

streets are any different than the rest. They don’t look any smarter than

your average parking meter.

Also, the new meters could become a traffic hazard if drivers try to

outsmart them. And you can be sure they will.

But to do so, a car must pull completely out of the spot and into the

busy street in order to reset the clock and put more coins in. Not

exactly a safe manuever.

After a few go-rounds with the motion-detection meters, beachgoers may

just decide that visiting Newport is not worth the hassle of parking.

Apparently, that’s what city officials are hoping for.

They want to free up the parking spaces for those who shop, eat at

pricey restaurants and do not lay around all day at the public beach.

Some business owners on the Balboa Peninsula are in favor of the

short-term parking policy, saying they need the spaces near their stores

and restaurants to be constantly in flux. For them, turnover in parking

means more customers.

Others say the Big Brother-esque limit on metered parking will drive

people -- potential customers -- away.

And the out-of-towners won’t be the only things driven away. The

hi-tech meters signal the end of a time when a day at the beach could

indeed be a day at the beach.

No one denies that parking -- or the lack of it -- is a major problem

for Newport. And no one can fault city officials for searching for a

solution.

But at the end of the three-month trial run, will the meters turn out

to be an intelligent choice?