CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Workers and visitors in downtown Cleveland will notice new parking technologies during the next few months, as the city tests two systems that might make meters easier to find and feed.

On Wednesday, the city turned on 49 credit-card meters near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Cleveland State University. Those meters, manufactured by IPS Group, Inc., of California, accept cash, credit cards and debit cards and will be in place for 90 days.

In late September, the city expects to launch another 90-day trial -- of a sensor program that pairs with a mobile app to let motorists know when metered parking spaces are available. The sensors, made by another California company called Streetline, will track activity at 100 existing meters along Prospect Avenue, between East 4th and East 9th streets.

Across the country, cities have swapped out coin-operated or basic digital meters for more sophisticated systems that give drivers real-time information and broader payment options. Cleveland, with more than 1,100 meters downtown and roughly 3,000 citywide, has not upgraded its system since introducing digital meters in 2006.

"We decided to run tests downtown because that's where you have the largest volume of parkers," said Michael Cox, who oversees the city's public works department. "We want meters turning over. Our aim is not to give parking tickets."

Cox said IPS and Streetline approached the city about considering changes to Cleveland's meter system. The city is not paying for the 90-day trials but will pick up servicing fees when people swipe their credit cards. Parking rates have not changed.

If motorists and city officials like what they see, then they'll consider adding either credit-card meters or a sensor system. Cox said he is unlikely to recommend both, since replacing old meters or adding sensors could cost $500 to $600 per meter. Either way, the city would solicit competitive bids -- so IPS and Streetline won't necessarily benefit.

"If we were to move forward, and I'm not saying that's what we're doing, this would be a bid process," Cox said.

IPS did not respond to a request for comment. The company designs and makes its solar-powered parking meters in San Diego. The meters, which fit into older housings and onto existing poles, are linked to a wireless system that tracks parking revenues and lets city officials know when meters are full of coins or jammed.

Twenty-five of those meters now line the south side of Erieside Avenue, near the Rock Hall, while 24 sit along the south side of Chester Avenue, between East 18th and East 22nd streets.

The Streetline sensor system will debut downtown next month, but motorists already can test the company's technology in a small parking lot at Case Western Reserve University. Streetline announced Thursday that CWRU is testing parking-meter sensors and the Parker smartphone app in the university's visitor information center lot off Euclid Avenue.



The Parker app is available for Apple and Android devices.