Council Split on Extending Parking Meter Times

Shoppers may soon be catching a break on parking at downtown Ridgewood streets. But not everyone is thrilled with the prospect.

The village council is considering an ordinance to extend meters from two hours to three hours on East Ridgewood Avenue and the downtown side streets.
 
"Three hours at those locations doesn't make sense to me," said Councilman Tom Riche. Although some businesses may benefit from the extra hour, others, like transactional businesses, would be hurt by slower turnover, he said.

According to Mayor Paul Aronsohn, the Chamber of Commerce's board of directors voted in favor of extending the meters, though he conceded not all businesses are enamored by the prospective change.

The mechanism of meters also emerged during the debate. Were the village to replace some of the meters with kiosks, it would run the town about $13,000 to $16,000 per kiosk, not including service fees, Village Manager Ken Gabbert said. Further, the town would lose money unless it increased its hourly rates, he said.

For some, the convenience of kiosks outweighed the upfront costs. The kiosks were a success in Red Bank, Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck, a supporter, reported. 

"It would be great to continue to look into that," she said.

Others pointed to towns that had gone the kiosk route only to discontinue their use a few short months later.

While Aronsohn rarely has quarters on him and would prefer a credit card system, Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh was apprehensive about having her credit card charged for parking.

A survey a few years ago found most commuters at the train station were not in favor of the more modern pay-by-space technology.

As much as commuters loathe the quarters, they "hate kiosks more," Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser said. It's unclear whether shoppers would agree with commuters. 

The council will continue the discussion in future meetings, with input from the business community.