By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Say hello to parking kiosks in Haddonfield. The commissioners approved a bond ordinance for $520,000 earlier this week, which includes $65,000 for parking kiosks along Tanner Street and several surrounding parking lots.
Commissioner Jeff Kasko said this can be considered like a pilot program. If the kiosks prove to be a useful tool they could be brought in to replace the parking meters that dot streets throughout Haddonfield.
The total amount of money the borough will spend $225,000, the majority of which was budgeted last year, Commissioner Ed Borden said.
Based on discussions with police representatives and parking authority employees from nearby towns that employ the kiosks — such as Collingswood — Borden said that the borough expects to increase the amount of money coming in through parking fees fairly quickly. An estimate as to how much the parking funding will increase can’t be calculated, Borden said.
One kiosk will be installed for every seven parking spaces.
Not everyone is thrilled with the prospect of the kiosks replacing the parking meters. Resident Betty Phillips shared her displeasure with the idea of the “ugly” kiosks dotting downtown Haddonfield.
The idea of having to walk half-a-block to put money in a kiosk is daunting for a senior citizen when the weather is less than perfect, she added.