Oh that darn parking meter!  Who the heck likes a parking meter?  I guess maybe your city, state and country officials.  Hmmm, I guess that means the Government.  I absolutely hate having to pay for parking, especially on the street.  Maybe you live in a pretty rural area and do not have to deal with parking meters or parking garages where in you have to spend money, but living in Los Angeles, I do.  And let me tell you that it is a nightmare.  When they first started that show “Parking Wars” on A&E, I had to watch it.  If you have not experienced parking meters in a large city, then you don’t know that “Parking Wars” is absolutely accurate – it had better be, since it is a Reality TV show.  I have never come into contact with a Meter Maid myself, but I come in contact with parking meters several times a week and it’s never a fun experience.  The thing is that if you pay your parking and return to your car when the meter runs out it’s not a major ordeal.  But usually the street is not just “Pay  for your time, but feel free to stay all day!”  No, it’s usually 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hour parking which can become a problem depending on what you have to do.  Living in Pasadena, I love going to the Old Town Pasadena Shopping area, but have to pay to park and am only able to stay for 2 hours.  It’s difficult to get your shopping done or perhaps stop and grab a nice lunch all in two hours.  You feel rushed. It’s not just about the meter, but it’s also about the ticket you can receive if you don’t have money in that meter.  LA fines can range from $45 to $60.  I just don’t agree with it.  But here is your parking meter history anyway.

The Parking Meter was invented on July 16th, 1935 by Carl C. Magee.  The world’s first meter was installed in Oklahoma City, OK.  Industrial production began in 1936 and continues still today.  The first meters were based on dropping coins into a slot and turning a knob to engage the mechanisms and a flag then would move showing the time remaining.  For the most part, they are still the same, but have moved onto just dropping the coin and seeing your remaining time on a computerized screen.  But there are many meters being put in these days that allow you to pay by credit card or paper cash.  What technology!  No matter what, the Parking Meter makes me angry and I wish it was never invented.