Two Little Rock city officials attended a parking meter conference in Pittsburgh — surely one of the least sexy junkets in the U.S. — last week to inspect first-hand solar-powered meters being considered for the River Market district.

President Clinton Avenue — which has a two-hour parking limit — “has basically become a parking lot,” Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau COO Jim Rice said. Traffic enforcement officers must now chalk tires to keep track of time parked. Area businesses want better enforcement.

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Rice said the meters, which take cash or credit cards, are the “newest and the greatest on the market in other cities.” Only one of the solar-powered meters is required per block, an aesthetic advantage, and they don’t require power. They issue a receipt, which the parker puts on his car dashboard to indicate when his time expires.

The meters cost between $6,000 and $8,000 apiece, more than conventional electronic meters, but fewer are required. Rice said the city will need only eight to 10, rather than 30 of the per-space meters; they’ll put out requests for bids.

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