As Metered Parking Ends For Season, Village Mulls New Technology
Parking fees will be suspended at the village meters for the winter starting Thanksgiving Eve.
The village parking meters in Port Jefferson will be suspended for the winter starting at the end of day on Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving, according to an announcement Mayor Margot Garant made at the last public village trustee meeting.
The much maligned parking fees have been a point of contention for business owners and visitors to the village over the years. In the spring, Garant announced that she extended the parking meter holiday by one month, from March to April 15 to help alieviate the impact the meters have on the local economy.
One merchant recently wrote an opinion post for the Me4PortJeff.com blog on the parking meters and their affect on the village, which you can read here.
In the past the meters have been problematic, with credit card processing taking an excessively long time or failing altogether because of issues with the cellular technology that powers its communications.
During the November board meeting, Trustee Larry LaPointe said that the village is exploring options to update the meters.
"There are many, many different ways of doing parking besides just doing meters," said LaPointe.
The questions, according to LaPointe are, "Should we buy new meters now or continue to use the ones we have? Has price come down? Has credit card processing gotten faster?"
He also mentioned technology that is being used overseas where people can pay with their smart phones, though he said that he didn't think the village was ready for that type of system just yet.
The meters will be covered for the winter starting on Thanksgiving Day and continue to be off for the rest of the winter.
Nicholas Santangelo
1:31 pm on Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Charging To Park A Vehicle Is Not Fair, This Is Not A Way To Promote Business. These Stores Need To Make Money To Survive, Let's Support Local Businesses By Not Charging Parking Fees.
S. Hawthorne
9:23 am on Thursday, November 24, 2011
The Village has always "charged" for parking but in a very negative manner, if you didn't move you car within a specified time limit you would get a get ticket costing you $30. With the meters you can pay as little as $.25 a half hour or stay as long as you want, and not worry about getting a ticket.
I like that system. And if you shop or eat at places like Z-Pita's the owner pays for your parking. I am told the money from the meters is used to improve the lots, like the lighting in the lots behind Harbor Square Mall. That's a plus.
BillLongisland
7:13 am on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
This time of year, is actually the best time to go down to "Lower Port"...but even the free parking isn't going to help these businesses...it's The Economy !