Borough Considers Commuter Lot Shake Up, Parking Rate Increase
The borough would like to have numbered spaces and commuter kiosks installed at the Radburn Train Station by 2014.
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Radburn Train Station's commuter parking lot may be on the verge of a makeover.
After receiving unanimous council approval Tuesday to move ahead with preliminary plans to update the lot, the borough will begin obtaining cost estimates to stripe parking spots and install two self-service kiosks at the station.
If approved, the lot makeover should give casual commuters a chance to find a parking spot, increase the ease with which police can ticket parking violators and raise additional revenue for the borough.
As the lot currently operates, resident commuters purchase an annual parking permit sticker that provides them daily entree to the unmarked lot. Residents are charged $54 -- 21 cents per week day -- for the annual permit, and non-residents pay $188 -- 72 cents per week day -- for the same parking privilege.
"It’s kind of an irony that you can drive to New York and pay $25 to park your car for two hours, or you can park in Fair Lawn for 21 cents," borough manager Tom Metzler said Tuesday.
Under the new proposal, the lot would be striped with numbered spots reserved for both residents and non-residents. A commuter would park his car and walk to the closest self-service kiosk where he would enter his parking space number and pay. Depending on the kiosk system, the commuter would either receive a receipt to be placed in plain view on his car's dashboard, or alternatively, the payment would be processed paperlessly by the machine.
In the second instance, ticketing police officers would be able to simply download the list of paid and unpaid spots, and more easily target parking violators -- occupied spots that have not been paid for -- rather than having to canvass the lot looking for cars parked without a permit sticker.
Deputy Mayor Ed Trawinski said he spoke with the mayor of Nutley, where a similar kiosk system is already in place, and that despite some initial concern the system has worked out.
"They couldn’t be happier with it," he said. "They actually also use it for their businesses, for parking for businesses, which is something to think about talking with the [River Road Improvement Corporation] and [Broadway Improvement Corporation] about."
Fair Lawn's next door neighbor, Glen Rock, also utilizes an identical self-service kiosk system, borough manager Tom Metzler said.
The proposed system's downside for residents include a loss in the number of parking spaces -- precipitated by the standardized striping process -- and an increased daily parking rate.
The parking costs aren't set in stone, but the estimates presented Tuesday called for residents to pay $1 per day and non-residents to pay $4 per day to park at the station. Using those figures, the borough would generate more than $200,000 in additional revenue, Metzler said.
Residents who commute reguarly would still have the ability to purchase an annual permit, but the cost has yet to be determined.
With council firmly behind further investigating the lot updgrade -- barring it does not conflict with the state's ban on increasing "user fees" to skirt the 2 percent tax cap -- the borough will seek permission from NJ Transit to proceed with the project and begin researching the capital improvement costs.
Metzler said he'd like to have the new system up-and-running by 2014.
Commuter parking rates for nearby communities are all over the map. Here's a list of eight, including Fair Lawn, provided by the borough manager:
| Town | Daily Resident Rate | Daily Non-Resident Rate | Annual Resident Rate | Annual Non-Resident Rate |
| Fair Lawn | $54, pro-rated quarterly | $188, pro-rated quarterly | ||
| Fair Lawn (bus parking lot on Saddle River Road) | $161 | $161 | ||
| Glen Rock | $1 | $6 | $145 | |
| Ridgewood | $0.25/hour | $650, pro rated monthly | ||
| HoHoKus | $4 | $4 | $225 | |
| Waldwick | $250 | $250 | ||
| Elmwood Park | $125 ($20/month) | $125 ($20/month) | ||
| Allendale | $8 | $8 | $50 | $190 |
| River Edge | $176 |
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Stuart Pace
3:00 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
You can park in front of my house free all day. Close to the trains.
REASONABLE
3:20 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
i use the lot just about everyday and $1 seems more than reasonable.
if we generate an extra $200,000 we can ALMOST cover the salaries of a couple community center supervisors.
Chris Antonelli
4:02 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
It should be almost out of reach for non residents. The lower lot is filled by 7AM. The Ramsey garage is almost 300 per month. 100 per month sounds fair for non residents.
Chris Antonelli
4:13 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
How do you determine who is a non resident? If you watch the commuters getting off the train starting at 6:00, they all go flying (hint to the FLPD) down Pollitt Drive towards 208 to avoid traffic.
mushroom
4:38 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
"Using those figures, the borough would generate more than $200,000 in additional revenue, Metzler said." That should cover the cost of the lot attendents.
LowLifer
6:25 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
Tax and spend, tax and spend, it's the great Chris Chrispy answer to "dancing around the cap", and it continues in Fair Lawn!
Michael Agosta
7:08 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
I've used the self-serve kisoks in Fort Lee and they work ok in 'off hours'. During rush hours, the lines are very long and take a lot of time.
The DC metro system uses the same card for parking and the train. You can refill the card at a kisok or online. Parking lots are gated and the card is used for payment upon departure. Quick and efficient.
Chris Antonelli
2:17 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
That would have to be coordinated with NJ Transit and would never happen.
Michael Agosta
3:49 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Well, it's not been tried. I don't see the difficulty in making a phone call or two. After all, the Gov's office is accessible to the local majority.
Seems like the same excuses with closing the Rec Center, pool and senior center.
Maybe, in reality, these politicians don't want to save us money.
Chris Antonelli
4:23 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
That's too much regulation and too much oversight. It's a parking lot. Set the fees, give out the stickers and be done with it. It's going to cost too much money. The lots are pretty empty on the weekends. We're not going to generate enough money to warrant putting in vending machines. Lets not get fancy here. Pave the upper lot, stripe it and be done.
If you really think we need to involve the State gov't in this, I really have no words.
Michael Agosta
4:44 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
NJ Transit is a state asset. They would have to be involved. This should be standardized throughout the state.....same concept as EZPass, using a card instead of a transponder.
Chris Antonelli
4:53 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
I don't believe the lot or property is owned by NJT.
Michael Agosta
5:50 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
The circle is complete. (see your first comment)
Access must be made available to everyone; daily commuters and casual users. I should not have to purchase a sticker if I only casually us the rail system.
Billy Mays
2:51 pm on Saturday, June 30, 2012
You are the cheapest person here on Patch. And also you are a big windbag with all your talk about nonsense.
Double Dipped Twinkie
11:13 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
POPPYCOCK!
Tommy P
12:19 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Yet another Metzler tax. I thought these were going to end. The lot belongs to the residents of this town, not Borough Hall, Inc.
Given the size of the lot, its also kind of ridiculous to have someone walk from their car to kiosk and back to their car, there are many people who are rushing to catch the train and this will cause people to miss the train and wait for the next one which could be an hour later.
Mr Metzler would like to have the system up and running by 2014. I'd like to have him running from this town long before then. Its time for the Metzler taxes to end.
Chris Antonelli
1:13 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
I park at the train station every morning. How would you like to have to get up and into work an hour early every day for no reason other than to be able to park in your own town's commuter lot. Non residents should pay much, much more for parking there. Pay to the point that it doesn't pay. Then maybe I could get some sleep!!! Require a valid registration and put the plate # on a sticker on the back of the car plain as day. That will keep people from trying to use their FL friends for parking passes. This does not have to be so over complicated. The casual commuter should not have to pay. Let the ones who routinely use the lot pay. Wanna spend money? Pave the upper lot. It's a shit hole. This is not very tough to figure out!!!
Chris Antonelli
1:34 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
And give the Non residents a few spots in the upper lot. No parking by the train. This shouldn't be attempted to be a revenue maker. It will cost more to manage than it's worth. Just take some sound advice from a commuter and be done with it. We don;t need any grandiose plans or ideas. It's a parking lot!!!
hypo
2:00 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
so tommy when it comes to the pool you want the people who use it to pay for it, but now the people who use the lot shouldnt have to pay for it?
i agree walking from the car to kiosk and back to the car sounds like a hassle. residents should pay $350 for the year and have a sticker on the car so they dont have to go to the kiosk everyday. non residents should pay significantly more.
have a kiosk for people who use the train once in awile.
i use the train everyday and $1 sounds reasonable- especially compared to other towns.
anyone who complains get over it, its $1 you cheapskates
alex gomstyn
2:00 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
I agree. This plan should be scrapped - this is a revenue raising scheme
Chris Antonelli
2:16 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Hypo,
It's the Metzler effect. He just doesn't like him. Metzler comes up with an almost good idea (needs tweaking), and Tommy doesn't like it. And yes, it does contradict everything he's said regarding the pool and others.
Jackcat
12:40 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Are you kidding with this "improvement" to the
parking lot? Pay more for less.... brilliant...
alex gomstyn
1:59 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
This plan should be scrapped. Every year it gets harder for residents to park and more spaces allocated for non-residents. THere is more non-residents coming to park here every year. This is nothing but revenue raising scheme. I rather city bought the lot where Dry cleaners used to be and made it into parking space for residents. Then city can raise the parking fees. By 7:30 lots are full. For residents commute gets worse every day. Trains are more cowded and numver of Trains for Fair Lawn was reduced. We need to limit number of parking permits for non-residents to the number of available non-resident spaces and hold lottery for them.
hypo
2:03 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
you people who are complaing about no residents parking here should be happy about this. if they charge significantly more for non residents less would come
Chris Antonelli
2:13 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
That's the point! Allot enough spaces to cover some costs and be done with it. Let them park in their own town.
Stuart Pace
2:07 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
@Chris----you drive to the train??? You lazy ba&^ard!!!! LOL.
Chris Antonelli
2:13 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
That walk is a lot further than you think. Especially at 7AM. Ha ha.....
Chris Antonelli
2:14 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
And when it's 5 degrees out.
Stuart Pace
2:15 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
but its all downhill on the way home. Buck up man! :)
Stuart Pace
2:18 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
and seriously Chris, if you are paying to park there, come park by me for free. 200 yards from the station.
Billy Mays
2:52 pm on Saturday, June 30, 2012
Chris is another windbag who talks a lot but says nothing.
Joan Flynn
7:51 pm on Sunday, March 31, 2013
Speaking with my sister from Glen Rock, within 2 weeks, the kiosks are being removed and being replaced by Parkmobile App. Apparently,the kiosks were always broken at which time the commuter needed to call the police dept. in order to not receive a ticket. Why are we catering to other towns? Raise the yearly parking rate and be done with it. Don't punish the everyday commuter.