We tried Cleveland's new coinless parking meters

• The city began phasing out nearly 2,500 coin-operated meters late last month.

How it works: Users with smartphones can scan a QR code on the meter to get started.

• You enter the zone number posted on the parking meter, then select the amount of time and enter your license plate number and payment method.

Be smart: You can extend your parking time remotely, which I did from a courtroom in the Justice Center. But you won't be able to extend past the maximum time — two hours, in my case — after which you're just as susceptible to ticketing as when using traditional meters.

My take: Other than the widely touted benefit of not having to lug quarters around (which doesn't bother me), remotely adding time is my favorite feature, plus being able to survey the available parking spots on the app's map.