Newark says time's up for parking meters, embraces new tech

Time has expired for parking meters in Newark.

The city is finally moving into the high-tech 21st century with a plan that will involve a phone parking app, kiosks that take credit cards and the use of license plate numbers.

The city’s mayor and City Council recently agreed to remove parking meters from Main Street as well as the attendant and gates at the entrance of municipal parking lots. They will be replaced with a system that allows a driver to pay by cash or credit card at a kiosk or virtually through the Passport parking app.

Major cities such as Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore long have had kiosks. So have Delaware towns such as Lewes. In Wilmington, parkers can use an app attached to a credit card or pump quarters into the meters still on the streets.

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Newark Ciy Manager Tom Coleman told council members and residents that the move will ease the loss of parking spaces from ongoing road work on Main Street and the construction of a new Hyatt Hotel. In total 150 parking spaces will be added. The new system will help drivers park and leave more quickly and easily.

“Our goal isn’t to write more tickets. Our goal is to make it easier for people to park,” Coleman said. “We’re not doing this as a money grab.”

Patrons utilizing the kiosks will have to enter their license plate numbers and pay for a certain amount of time, presumably what they think they will need. Additional time can be added at the kiosk.

Patrons will also be able to pay from the Passport app, which will alert them via text 15 minutes before their time is up so they can reload.

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Newark Chief Communications Officer Kevin Liedel said the first 25 kiosks will be installed and operational the week of Sept. 3. Patrons will be able to pay by coin, credit card, parking validations and by phone if they do not wish to download the app, Liedel said.

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City leaders first broached the subject of replacing the antiquated meters in April. The new technology and system will be cheaper to operate compared to the current one, he said.

The jobs of the city's parking attendants, who are all part-time, will be phased out during the next 12 months. The meter maid jobs will not be affected.

The plan calls for parts of Main Street and lot 1, behind the Main Street Galleria, to have kiosks installed this year.

The new system will be added to the surrounding streets and lots in 2020. Currently, there is permit parking in lot 2 and lot 5, but when gates are removed patrons will be able to use those spots nights and weekends.

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Liedel said that fines for people who stay over without paying for the time, or park without a ticket or using the app will be $20. There will be an appeals process, he said.

However, patrons who pay upfront for time and then don't use it will not be refunded any money.

The new system will require that people using municipal lots pay upfront, a big change from the current one that allows them to pay when they leave the parking space.

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What do you think about changing the parking meters in Newark? About time, or another snowfall in an avalanche of changes on Main Street already?

Contact Ira Porter at 302-324-2581 or iporter@delawareonline.com. Follow him on twitter at iPorterReporter or on instagram @iPorter.Reporter.