Free three-hour parking officially extended to March
Applies to waterfront, downtown
The city council last night approved a resolution allowing free three-hour parking to be extended until March 1.
The measure applies to all spots that are normally metered, along the waterfront and in the central business district [CBD]. Parking restrictions have not been enforced since Hurricane Sandy struck on Monday, Oct. 29, because 57 of the city’s 100 pay stations were damaged in the storm.
The city imposed a three-hour time limit to keep cars from staying in the same spots for long periods of time, thus making it difficult for customers or those visiting town to find parking.
Mayor Ed Johnson said he still sees cars being kept in the same spots for extended periods of time.
“It’s just maddening,” he said. “In this post-Sandy atmosphere, we’re begging to get people to come in and spend their nickels. It’s maddening to me that you’d limit the amount of people who can come to the community [by taking up parking spots for long periods of time].”
The police department is electronically monitoring the cars to ensure they don’t overstay their three-hour time limit, city manager Terence Reidy said. In other towns, officers usually chalk tires to keep track of parking.
Replacement of the 57 stations will cost around $800,000, Reidy has said. The cost may be covered in part or in full by the city’s broiler and machinery insurance, or by FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency].
In previous years, parking has been free from late November until early January to boost shopping.
When metered parking is in effect, parking costs one dollar per hour in most of the city. In the spots closest to the beach, the price doubles. Motorists park in numbered spaces then walk to pay stations, enter the number of their space, and pay with cash or a credit card.
