Folks headed to downtown St. Paul will soon be able to stop fumbling for coins and just pull out the plastic to pay for a parking space on the street.

The city will spend the next month installing 50 new meters that are capable of taking credit cards, a major modernization for downtown parking convenience.

"These parking spaces are a valuable commodity," said Rich Lallier, director of public works. Meter fees contribute about $1 million a year to the city's general fund, he said.

The new meters, which also will accept coins and stored-value cards, will be installed on Wabasha Street between Kellogg Boulevard and 6th Street. The city is paying $3,350 -- less than $70 per meter -- to rent them. That money will go toward the purchase price if the test is successful and the city decides to buy them.

The Public Works Department will monitor the test models between November and April. City officials want to see how well the meters work in frigid weather before committing to a broad replacement. The current meters are 12 years old and starting to fail.

Time limits and rates won't change for the test meters, but those factors will be reviewed after the trial.

Last spring, the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce released a survey of 340 respondents that showed on-street parking in downtown is a challenge. Business owners said signs are confusing, enforcement is overly aggressive and restrictive time limits are shooing away customers. The chamber made some suggestions, such as extending time limits on meters and simplifying signs.

Minneapolis is in the process of a three-year, $6.6 million update of its parking meter system. The meters that St. Paul is testing are the same as some of those being installed in Minneapolis.

Chris Havens • 612-673-4148