Which Parking Meter is Better?

In January, the city installed 30 new parking meters in Magoun and Ball squares as part of a pilot program that could lead to a "wider-scale" purchase of parking meters that accept credit cards, according to an announcement from the city of Somerville.

The announcement says the credit-card parking meters installed in Davis and Union squares in 2011 have "garnered positive feedback from both drivers and business owners."

"We are considering a wider-scale purchase based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback," Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said in a statement about the meters.

However, the city "felt it was important to sample more than one product before taking this next significant step," the mayor's statement continued.

That's why the wireless, solar-powered new parking meters in Magoun Square and Ball Square look different from the ones in Davis Square and Union Square.

The latter are made by the IPS Group (see video demonstration here), and the new meters are made by Duncan Solutions (here's their video).

Matthew Dias, acting director of traffic and parking, said in a statement, "The additional pilot program will allow the city to further its experiment with another vendor and better determine the best and most cost-effective product for potential full-scale implementation."

Anyone have thoughts about these different meters? The IPS Group meters have a more modern look, while the Duncan Solutions meters look traditional. Other than their shape and the angle of their credit-card slot, they seem similar.