The New Haven Register reports the program will be launched soon in a two-block area near Yale University.
Magnetic sensors are being installed in the parking spaces on Chapel Street between York and College streets that will automatically reset the meters once a vehicle leaves the spot.
City officials say the system records how long each car is using a meter and is designed to determine how many cars are parking in the high-traffic area and how long they stay there.
The pilot sensors were provided by IPS Group Inc. at no cost to the city, which will collect the data for 90 days, said Tim Travers, director of the city's the Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking.
"The data will be useful to tell us if the area should be one-hour parking or two-hour parking," Travers said. "If people are spending three hours there, maybe we need to revisit the length of time."
He added that adjusting meter times for the average turnover can help promote traffic to local businesses. He said the city eventually may also be able to use the sensors to develop a cellphone application that will tell drivers where they are likely to find a free parking space.
"This gives us a gateway into information we've never been able to see before," Travers said. "What we'll do with it, I don't know."
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