Since borough commissioners approved extended paid parking hours late last year to include Saturdays, they have been met with pushback from residents who lament the loss of free parking and the difficulty in using the kiosk or app.
To address that, the commissioners discussed during a Feb. 12 work session the idea of free, short-term parking throughout town through the app and kiosks. No action was taken, and at earliest – if an ordinance is introduced at the commissioners’ meeting later this month – the proposal could be approved on second reading in March and take effect in April.
“There is the ability to do free 10-, 15-minute parking on the app, and there is the ability to do that on the kiosk,” said Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich. “One of the things that people forget to mention is that previously, only the meters gave free 15 or 12 minutes, and it had to be a functional meter.
“So if you happened upon a meter that was jammed or broken, you got nothing for free and you risked a ticket, which is part of why we changed the system.”
Within the app, free parking would go by license plate rather than location. If a person were to temporarily park somewhere and run in and run out of a store, then drive to another location, they would have 15 minutes total of free parking even if they change spots.
“It would benefit you no matter where you move your car,” Bianco Bezich explained. ” … The convenience of being on your phone is that when your 10 or 15 minutes are up, you would get a notification.”
The mayor noted that the Partnership for Haddonfield is also in favor of free, short-term parking. It is considering the creation of educational promotion through social media and coordinating with customers so the app for free, short-term parking will be easier to understand and use.
She also acknowledged the frustrations of residents, including the lack of parking on weekends; having to use an app or kiosk; and paying $1.35 for an hour of parking, even if they use the space for less time.
For seniors, the issue can can be addressed through that group’s parking permit.
“This senior parking pass, they don’t have to worry about where they’re parking or what they’re spending or the app,” Bianco Bezich noted. “They have the convenience of utilizing the annual permit for $20 or 42 cents a week.”
In other business, commissioners approved the 2024 Rally in the Alley event for later this year and passed an ordinance appointing Professional Insurance Associates to be the borough’s risk management consultant.
The next commissioners’ meeting will be on Monday, Feb. 26.
