Free three-hour parking still in effect throughout town
Many pay stations still out of order
Free three-hour parking is in effect until further notice, although officials say metered parking should be back in effect by the end of the month.
In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy damaged 57 of the city’s 100 parking pay stations. The city ordered 57 newer models at $789,008 to replace the broken machines.
The pay stations were scheduled to arrive on Feb. 20, but they likely won’t be in until March 10 now, city engineer Joe Cunha said last week. The damaged meters have been removed, while solar panel wiring is being repaired, Cunha said.
Originally, metered parking was scheduled to start again today, March 1. The start date has now been postponed until further notice.
Normally, parking costs $1 per hour in most areas, or $2 per hour in the spots closest to the beach front. But since Hurricane Sandy, parking has been free for three-hour periods.
Many business owners eagerly await the parking stations in the downtown and waterfront areas, saying business has been hurt due to customers and residents leaving their cars in the same spot for long periods of time.
“I’m used to having my Voicemail and inbox full with messages about parking,” Mayor Ed Johnson said earlier this month. “Now, the messages are demanding us to put the meter system back up so we can create customer turnover.”
The city’s parking utility raised $1.8 million in 2012, Cunha has said.
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[CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that the replacement machines had come in as previously scheduled. In reality, they have not yet arrived as of March 4.]
