A new system promises to take the meter maid out of parking tickets in the same way red light and speed cameras have eliminated police officers from the ticket equation. The ParkingEye device drew significant attention at the ParkEx and Traffex 2005 "traffic safety" and parking product exhibitions which end today.

Developed in 2003, ParkingEye's "Automated Attendant" uses a camera to track, scan and record every vehicle as it enters a lot. The camera follows the vehicle until it parks, starting a precise countdown timer. The moment time runs out, a ticket can be issued.

Several variations are available. For private lots, RFID chips can be used to
identify people with monthly parking passes. Public lots could send an SMS message to summon a meter maid to issue a parking citation the second a violation is detected, eliminating the need to patrol the lot. All parking information is stored in a centralized database so that the lot owner can see, in real time, who is in the lot using a special Internet website.