On this date in 1947, parking meters were first installed in Winston-Salem. The city installed the 644 parking meters to help free-up parking spaces for short-term parking, hoping to encourage the all-day parkers to find a space in a parking lot or out of the business zone.
To help people adjust to this new procedure, Police Chief John Gold set a 10-day “get-acquainted” period, to end March 22nd. During this time a person could take his parking difficulties and tickets to the office of Captain Stutts, head of the police Traffic Division. After the person explained why he got the ticket, he might be excused after Captain Stutts discussed how the parking meter worked.
Only four of the 644 parking meters were not operating properly on the first day, which the police considered to be a low number for so many meters.
The photo above shows one of the first women to be hired by the police department, in the traffic division, 1953.
Photo courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
