An ordinance that eliminates the three-hour parking limit and replaces it with all-day parking meters on Witherspoon Street, between Green Street and Lytle Street, was introduced by Princeton Council Monday night.
The change was made partly in response to a request by the Arts Council of Princeton, which is located on Witherspoon Street between Paul Robeson Place and Green Street, and to accommodate employee parking for businesses in town.
The move from three-hour meters to all-day parking meters also brings it into line with the all-day parking meters on Witherspoon Street, between Lytle Street and Henry Avenue, which are already in place.
Metered parking is in effect from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, metered parking is in effect from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Princeton Council spent more than an hour on Monday night discussing the new parking system that it implemented in November. The new parking system allows users to pay for parking by coin, credit card or a mobile app.
Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert acknowledged the complaints that town officials have received since the new parking system was put in place. The hourly rate has increased, and there have been complaints about the lack of lighting on the meters at night and the difficulty in using the app.
The Princeton Council understands those frustrations, Mayor Lempert said, but the goal is to have a parking system that makes the best use of the parking infrastructure. A parking consultant’s study showed that many parking spaces were empty, especially outside of the business district, and the parking garages are under-utilized.
Tweaks have been made to the parking system, Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton said. The meters will light up at night if a button is pushed, and the minimum to use a credit card has been reduced from $1 to 50 cents.
Coin jams in the meters have been fixed, too, Stockton said. The canisters to collect the coins had not arrived in time, and the meters were limited in how much change they could hold. The canisters have arrived, she said.
Nevertheless, some residents and business owners were critical of the new parking system.
Joel Schwartz said it was not clear why the Smart Cards were discontinued. The new system is “complicated,” he said, adding that towns such as Westfield and Summit use an updated version of the Smart Card.
Smart Cards allowed users to load them with “cash” and to draw down the amount on the card. The Smart Cards allowed for a refund back onto the card if the user did not need all the time that he or she had put on the meter.
Several business owners told the Princeton Council that they had lost employees because of the limited supply of all-day parking meters and because of the expense of parking at two-hour and three-hour meters. The fee is $2.25 per hour at a two-hour meter and $1.50 per hour at a three-hour meter. All-day meters cost 75 cents per hour.
The all-day meters are scattered around town – Alexander Street, between Dickinson Street and the Princeton Station lot; Dickinson Street and Edwards Place, off University Place; lower University Place, near McCarter Theater; Olden Street, off Nassau Street; portions of Franklin Avenue and Henry Avenue; and Witherspoon Street, north of Paul Robeson Place.
Business owners also commented that they had lost customers because of the expensive parking fees, and because two or three hours is not enough time. The town’s parking regulations state that a car cannot be parked in the same block once it has moved, so motorists need to park in another block if they want to spend more time in town.
But the new parking system has its supporters, as well.
Margaret Griffin said she prefers the new system and never liked the Smart Cards. They could only be re-filled at certain locations, such as the Spring Street garage and the former Princeton Borough Hall, now known as Monument Hall, so the ability to use a credit card is more friendly for visitors from out of town, Griffin said.
Parking is a matter of supply and demand, Griffin said, and it has always been an issue in Princeton. She recalled the fight over the construction of the Spring Street garage, adding that “constant griping” about parking is nothing new in Princeton.
Sam Bunting agreed that parking in Princeton will always be limited. He said he does not understand why visitors do not want to park in the parking garages in town. Instead, they drive around looking for an on-street parking space.
