Starting this week, the city of Asbury Park will be evaluating two new parking pay stations. The trial pay stations are being provided by two vendors, Parkeon and IPS Group, at no cost to the City.
The trial period is anticipated to run from now through June 29, 2017. During the trial period, the pay stations will accept payment for parking on Mattison Avenue between Bond Street and Emory Street. Existing smart cards and employee permit cards will not be accepted at the trial pay stations. There is a possibility that during the course of the trial the pay stations could be moved to other locations in the City, to gauge their efficacy there.
Depending on the outcome of the trial period, the City may consider replacing the entire fleet of pay stations that are currently installed, or a portion thereof. The majority of the pay stations were installed in 2011, and are nearing the end of their useful lives.
During the trial period, patrons will be asked to fill out a short online survey regarding their experience with the new meters. Members of the City’s Parking Committee will also evaluate their use, as well as the respective back-end software platforms in order to improve management of the parking supply in Asbury Park.
“Our goal with this trial program is to evaluate different pay station technologies that are available in the marketplace and decide whether to select a new technology based on a variety of factors,” said Mike Manzella, the City’s Transportation Manager. “We are looking for a better solution to improve the user experience when paying for parking, and the functionality of the meters is just one avenue.”
“We’ve been listening to resident, visitor, and business feedback on the current parking meters since they were installed,” Mayor John Moor said. “And before we chose a new kind of pay station for Asbury Park, we’re going to make sure it suits the needs of Asbury Park. We want to be as informed in this choice as we possibly can be.”
The City’s Parking Committee is also evaluating recommendations for parking policy, a new mobile payment app, and software management systems, among other improvements.
