Manhattan Beach To Replace 1,275 Parking Meters With 110 Pay Stations

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Manhattan Beach is preparing to replace more than 1,275 individual parking meters with approximately 110 centralized pay stations, introducing a system that would allow motorists to pay using their license plate numbers rather than individual parking spaces.

The City Council will consider the regulations needed to implement the overhaul Wednesday evening, with the new equipment scheduled to replace the existing meters in November. According to a city staff report, the changes are intended to modernize aging parking infrastructure, simplify payments and improve enforcement across the city's paid parking areas.

For motorists, the transition would mean fewer machines, the ability to pay or extend parking sessions using a mobile phone and longer stays in several public lots. Parking rates and paid enforcement hours would remain unchanged under the proposal. The city currently operates more than 1,275 single-space meters and 12 older pay stations, equipment officials say is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain and prone to technical problems.

How The New System Would Work

Under the proposed "pay-by-plate" system, motorists would enter their license plate number into a mobile application or pay station, creating a digital parking session associated with a designated parking zone. Unlike the existing system, which ties payments to individual spaces, the new technology would allow drivers to move between spaces within the same zone without paying again, provided their original session remains valid.

Drivers could pay using a mobile phone, text message or one of approximately 110 new kiosks. The machines would accept coins, contactless payments and most debit and credit cards, but not paper bills. City officials anticipate that between 85% and 90% of parking sessions will begin on mobile phones.

Motorists would also be able to extend their parking time remotely, provided they remain within the posted maximum limit. The council approved a three-year agreement with ParkMobile LLC in February to purchase, install and operate the equipment and mobile payment system.

Longer Stays In Six Parking Facilities

Although the city is not proposing higher parking rates, it wants to give motorists more time in several public parking facilities. Maximum parking durations would increase from two to three hours in Lots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, along with the lower level of the Civic Center Lot during periods when spaces are not reserved.

The additional hour is intended to accommodate customers visiting restaurants, shops and other businesses while encouraging longer visits to public lots rather than on-street spaces. Existing street parking limits would remain unchanged for now, including the city's 24-minute short-term spaces. Most paid street parking currently has two- or three-hour limits between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

City staff discussed the proposed changes with representatives of the Downtown and North Manhattan Beach business associations and the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce. According to the report, business representatives expressed differing views about whether street parking limits should be increased or decreased, although participants generally supported longer stays in public lots.

Staff acknowledged that residents and other stakeholders were not fully represented in those discussions. The council could direct the city's traffic engineer to examine street parking limits separately, with any proposed adjustments returning to the Parking and Public Improvements Commission for public consideration.

License Plate Cameras Would Assist Enforcement

The overhaul would also change how the city monitors parking violations. Under a separate agreement approved in May, EyeP Solutions will provide mobile parking enforcement cameras and software capable of checking license plates against the city's parking payment system.

The cameras would be installed on parking enforcement vehicles, with handheld equipment also available. Instead of relying primarily on officers marking tires with chalk to track parking durations, the system would use time-stamped license plate information to help determine whether vehicles have exceeded posted limits.

City officials say the technology could also discourage motorists from repeatedly extending parking sessions beyond the maximum permitted time, commonly known as "feeding the meter." Staff recommend introducing a short waiting period between sessions to prevent drivers from immediately purchasing additional time after reaching the limit. The report does not specify how long that period would be.

Parking citations would not be issued automatically. Officers would still need to verify violations in person and issue tickets. According to the report, the camera system would be managed exclusively by the Police Department and subject to city regulations governing data storage and privacy.

Council To Consider Parking Zone Regulations

Wednesday's hearing concerns two resolutions establishing the geographic boundaries and regulations needed to operate the new payment system. Resolution No. 26-0114 would approve a coastal development permit and establish parking zones within the city's coastal zone, while Resolution No. 26-0115 would establish corresponding regulations outside that area.

The coastal permit is required because changes to parking controls near the shoreline can affect public access to the coast. The council previously approved amendments to the city's municipal code in October authorizing new payment methods and enforcement technology. Wednesday's proposed resolutions would establish the parking zones and regulations necessary to put those changes into effect.

The city says the action would have no additional budget impact because the equipment and mobile payment system are funded through a separately approved project.

The City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, with the parking proposal scheduled as Item 10. City staff recommend approving both resolutions, clearing another regulatory step toward replacing Manhattan Beach's existing parking meters with the new payment system.