4 Issues With Fair Lawn Commuter Parking Changes

A change in parking fees and permitting at commuter parking lots in Fair Lawn, which would increase the cost by several hundred percent for drivers and require commuters to pay a small fee every day they park instead of once per year, has drawn concern from a number of residents and out-of-town commuters who use borough facilities at the Radburn Train Station and Saddle River Road bus parking lot.

An ordinance setting the new rules was approved by the Fair Lawn Council in December, but borough officials held a discussion to address residents' concerns and take their feedback during a work session meeting Tuesday night. Most of the residents' concerns fell within four issues with the changes:

1. Cost 
The ordinance replaces the annual parking sticker fee of $54 for borough residents or $188 for non-residents to a daily fee of $1 for residents or $2 for non-residents. This was the first time Fair Lawn increased the cost in 12 years, and the increase brings the borough more in line with other communities on the Bergen, Main and Pascack Valley Lines, officials said.

Several of the dozens of residents at Tuesday's meeting questioned why the increase for Fair Lawn residents was more, as a percentage, than for non-residents. Council members said they would consider raising the out-of-town cost and possibly also lowering the resident cost.

2. Payment Method
The borough will work with Parkmobile, a company which collects payments through a smartphone app, website or phone calls, to help handle parking in the lots.

Using Parkmobile is expected to help the borough lower its costs. Previously, two police records workers had to go through the 700 applications each year, Chief Glen Cauwels said. The contractor will mean they won't need to work overtime on the project, he said.

However, several residents said they didn't want to have to pay every day, as they might forget or have a phone battery die, potentially causing them to get a ticket. Officials said they would discuss including weekly, monthly and possibly even annual payment options. They have not yet signed the agreement with Parkmobile because of the residents' concerns, so changes could still potentially be made, Borough Manager Jim Van Kruiningen said.

3. Enforcement
Officials had planned to start the new system January 1, but delayed that because of residents' concerns. Currently, police are not enforcing the new ordinance. They also can't go back to the old permit program immediately because the new law eliminated that. 

The Fair Lawn Council has scheduled another work session for 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday, during which they will figure out exactly what they want to do next after Van Kruiningen checks with Parkmobile to see what adjustments could be made to the fees. 

Police won't be able to start enforcing the rules until the contract with Parkmobile is signed. That could be another month or more, because changing the fee structure would require officials to pass another ordinance, a process which by law requires a minimum of two readings, an advertisement and a public discussion.

4. Number of Spaces
Residents also said they have found there is not enough parking at the Radburn Station, especially since enforcement has stopped. 

While it's not specifically connected to the new ordinance, officials have been planning a study of Radburn in conjunction with the borough Economic Development Corporation and NJ Transit, which could potentially identify more parking areas. 

Mayor John Cosgrove also said the borough may try to reach an agreement with Pollitt Drive businesses to use their extra parking spots.