Parking Meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street parking policy, usually related to their traffic and mobility management policies.
By inserting coins into a currency detector slot or swiping a credit card or smartcard into a slot, and turning a handle (or pressing a key), a timer is set within the meter. Some places allow payment by mobile phone (to remotely record payments for subsequent checking and enforcement). A dial or display on the meter indicates how much time is remaining.
New meters, like those from IntelliPark in Bethesda MD, feature sonar-based vehicle detection. These meters zero out the time on a meter when a car exits a space and won’t allow parkers to meter feed when they have exceeded the time alloted for a space.