Frustration and resignation were very much in evidence Wednesday as drivers looking for a place to park also had to look for more loose change to deal with higher rates at parking meters throughout Pittsburgh.

"I remember when I used to park Downtown, and it would be $2.50 a day. Now it's going up to $3 an hour," said Charles Krall, 70, of Bethel Park as he climbed into his pickup truck on South 23rd Street in the South Side.

A few blocks away on East Carson Street, Linda Novoacek, 63, was not only frustrated that the meters would require more change, but she also wished they would accept smaller change.

"It's doubling. Let's see, I'm going to have to put a quarter in and I'll be in and out of here in three minutes," she said as she headed into the Pretzel Shop. "Everything's going up in a bad economy; people can't afford it. It's ridiculous."

PG VIDEO: REACTION IN OAKLAND

They were among several people who were asked about the rate increases, which affect about 7,000 on-street meters owned by the city. The increases do not apply to garages or metered parking lots owned by the Pittsburgh Parking Authority.

Hourly rates Downtown will jump to $3 from the current $2; to $1 from the current 50 cents in the North Shore, the South Side, Strip District and Shadyside; and to 75 cents from the current rate of 50 cents in Brookline, Mount Washington, the North Side, Squirrel Hill and Uptown. In Oakland, rate increases will vary from one part of the neighborhood to another.

City Council approved the new rates in December as part of its plan to bail out the city's pension fund.

But the reasons for the increase mattered little to college students in Oakland who said they have to run out of class to feed parking meters.

"I was pretty mad because I've already gotten a few tickets from running out five minutes after my meter ran out," said Tucker Vento, a student at the University of Pittsburgh who lives in Mt. Lebanon. "Increasing the rate is just adding insult to injury."

Mr. Vento used to take the bus into Oakland for his job at the university radio station. After Port Authority cut back its bus routes, he started to drive instead. But with parking more expensive, he said, he feels as though he has jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

"Since they're increasing the Port Authority costs and cutting the routes, it's reducing our options for getting down here," he said. "I'm taking classes, I'm a student, so I have to be down here. We're kind of at their mercy."

"I think it's counterproductive to the City of Pittsburgh, to its commerce," said Vince Gavin, an accountant who works at Pitt. "Shopping malls are only 10 minutes away," outside the city, he said, and free parking can be found there. "It's a no-brainer. It hurts business Downtown."

Don Sebrosky, a construction superintendent from the North Hills who was working in Oakland, said feeding parking meters is a burden to construction workers, who get ticketed if they don't get back to their meters in time.

Now, he and his men also will need to deal with higher rates.

"The pension fund, that's what got us into this mess," Mr. Sebrosky said. "Nothing you can do about it. The politicians are trying to decide what to do, and we're left holding the bag. It's their pension. They don't care about us. The taxpayer has to pick up the bill."

Kathleen Petrosky went clothes shopping Wednesday in Shadyside but ran into a problem when she tried to park her car on Walnut Street.

The meter wasn't accepting her coins because of what appeared to be a jam, one of the problems that Parking Authority officials said may happen with the change to the new rates.

Ms. Petrosky didn't let that prevent her from parking at what she said was a premium spot.

"I'm willing to pay but I can't and I don't want to give up this spot," she said. "I keep coming in and out of the stores to make sure I'm not getting ticketed, and it's sort of ruining my day."

Anne Hunkler drove to Shadyside from her home in Verona to get her laptop computer fixed Wednesday. She said she was disappointed when she heard about the rate increase.

"It was already bad enough," she said. "The tickets are what's the problem, though. [Meter enforcers are] on it, too; they're patrolling all the time."

Back on Carson Street, Davey Hamburgers, 40, of Polish Hill, said he wasn't aware rates were going up, but he had a good reason. He rides a bike whenever he can, and was only getting into his car because his bike was in the shop.

As for how the new rates might affect drivers, he said, "It stinks for theater-goers and tourists, but in the city, people should ride bikes."