Council Exploring Possibility of Adding Parking Meters Throughout City

After last summer, city officials are now looking at placing them throughout Long Branch this summer.

The Long Branch Council had a lengthy discussion about the possibility during its workshop session on Tuesday night, with Mayor Adam Schneider endorsing the move.

"Asbury Park has been so successful with it," Mayor Schneider said. "It's a revenue stream we have to capture."

Long Branch Business Administrator Howard Woolley said the 59 meters installed in the lot of the Great Lawn yielded about $12,000 for the city over three weeks. Woolley said the meters were not installed until August, and that the weather was rainy and that the beach was closed for a few days because of Hurricane Irene.

"The weekends in August were a wash because of the rain," Woolley said.

Woolley said he recently met with a consultant who did an analysis of the available parking spaces in the city to find out if adding parking meters would be beneficial.

Woolley said the analysis was positive and said it was now up to the council to decide if it would like to purchase the meters via a bond ordinance for about $600,000.

The council did not discuss exactly where the meters would be placed but Mayor Schneider did mention they would be placed near Beachfront North and in West End.

Each space would be striped and numbered and people who wish to park in them would pay at a meter with either coins, dollars or a credit card. Motorists can even use their smart phone in order to add time.

Woolley said the charge to park in each space would probably be $1 per hour on weekdays and $2 per hour on weekends from 9 a.m to midnight.

He said there would be one meter for every 30 spaces, and that the money would be collected from them by special officers.

Mayor Schneider said he understands that some residents may not be happy with if the city were to add the meters but that Long Branch is one of the only towns that does not have parking meters.

"Parking is an expensive commodity," Mayor Schneider. "Changing makes a lot of sense and we have to explore it, because it is revenue for the city."

Woolley said he would try to have a presentation at the next council meeting on Feb. 28 to show some of the features of the meters which also allow parkers to buy beach badges.

He said if the council can introduce and pass the bond ordinance in the next month, that the meters could be installed by the middle of June.