Portland Parking: City Says Goodbye to Last Single-Space Meter

The City of Portland retired the last single-space parking meter on Thursday, making the end of an era as the city completely embraces pay stations. The city once had more than 7,000 of those meters.

In a ceremony, an electric saw was used to remove the meter's head from it's pole. It was then presented to the Oregon Historical Society for inclusion in its collection.

"These meters have served the city well," said Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick. "They have been an integral part of our parking management system. But they have reached the end of their useful life, and it is time to completely transition to 21st Century parking technology, like pay stations and pay by phone, which are more efficient and make it easier and more convenient for Portlanders to park."

The first single-space meter in Portland was installed in 1938 when one hour cost a nickel. In 2002, Portland became one of the first cities to start moving to pay station technology, which allows drivers to pay for parking at any space on a block.

In the past 14 years, the city has been removing the meters and putting in pay stations. The meter on Thursday was the last of 453 meters to be removed this year.

Next year, the city will take another step by trying out two new technologies - mobile pay and pay by plate.

Photo Portland Bureau of Transportation