june 10th 2008 will mark the 50th anniversary of the parking meter and to celebrate, leading parking solutions provider, Parkeon, has rummaged through the archives and dusted the cobwebs off some of its oldest parking meters for a family snapshot.

The momentous occasion occurred on Grosvenor Square in London’s suitably glamorous Mayfair district, which today is home to Parkeon’s state of the art solar powered Strada pay and display terminals.

The parking meter was invented by Carl C. Magee, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1935. Coincidentally, the UK’s first parking meter was installed outside the American Embassy on Grosvenor Square in 1958. The design of the first ever parking meter is now so iconic that new parking meters have to be designed to fit the shape of the original 1930s version because the motoring public doesn’t recognise a parking meter unless it is in the classic “lollipop” style.

In the UK, over the past 50 years parking meters have become such a recognisable piece of street furniture that it is only natural that they star on Albert Square in the nation’s favourite soap, Eastenders. The set is home to a Parkeon parking machine, and some might argue its acting is more convincing than many of the regular cast.

London’s first parking meter was a wind up machine which charged 6d for one hour’s parking. The design of the parking meter has come a long way from the original, but Parkeon’s models today are just as environmentally friendly as the first wind up version thanks to their pioneering use of solar power technology.

Using a sustainable energy to power the machines has the obvious benefit of no CO2 emissions. In addition, the machines cause minimal disruption to motorists and pedestrians when installed because they do not require roadworks for power cables to be installed. As a leader in solar power parking machines, Parkeon have fine-tuned the efficiency of their units to such an extent that if a solar panel is taken away from a meter, it will still be able to run for three months.

Yves Chambeau, CEO of Parkeon, commented: “We’re very pleased to be able to mark the 50th anniversary of the parking meter. Parking meters have gone through great developments over the years, becoming an everyday part of street furniture. They also embrace the latest green technology - the vast majority of Parkeon’s machines in the UK and around the world are solar powered and have no carbon emissions.”

Kelvin Reynolds, Director of Technical Services, British Parking Association said: ““The BPA fully supports the development and use of new technologies to improve parking management. Fifty years after the introduction of the first parking meter into the UK, there are some very good examples of innovation in our industry - all designed to reflect the needs of 21st century motorist, who is evermore energy conscious and demands contemporary payment methods which are easy to use. It will be interesting to see what the next 50 years bring.”

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About Parkeon (website: www.parkeon.com)

Parkeon is a key player in global parking and transport management solutions. With a 35 year history in the sector, the company is at the forefront of innovation, and has a presence in 40 countries and 3,000 cities worldwide. The company’s headquarters is in France, while it has offices across Europe (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and in the United States, employing over 1,100 people world wide.

Parkeon’s portfolio of products and systems are designed to ease congested streets and facilitate traffic flow. As a global leader in payment and ticketing solutions for parking and mass transit, Parkeon has played a significant role in the development of Pay & Display technology.

Formerly Schlumberger’s Parking and Ticketing division, Parkeon formed in November 2003. In June 2007, Barclays Private Equity (France) became the major shareholder in Parkeon and the company posted revenues of €155 million in 2007. Parkeon prides itself on its participatory management style – since December 2007, 30% of its employees have become shareholders in the business.

Parkeon Limited, 10 Willis Way, Fleets Industrial Estate, Poole, Dorset BH15 3SS, U.K.

Tel: 01202 339494  Fax: 01202 667293  Web: www.parkeon.com

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