BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield is primed for a test run of “pay-by-plate” parking beginning Tuesday, May 1, town officials say.
On May 1, Bloomfield Township will begin a 90-day trial period of parking pay stations in the heart of its downtown area, a move that is expected to save time and money for municipal parking enforcers, officials said.
The Bloomfield Township Council voted unanimously on April 23 to enter into agreements for parking meter equipment and services with the IPS Group Inc. and Parkeon Inc., a Moorestown-based international company that owns and operates state-of-the-art parking pay stations.
The companies use pay-by-plate technology to keep parking authorities aware of the time remaining on all operating machines, according to a municipal news release.
Town officials said that the new parking technology will be tested in four locations over the 90-day trial period:
– Glenwood Ave. alongside Avalon
– Washington St. alongside Avalon
– The municipal parking lot on Bloomfield Ave.
– The Conger St. parking lot
The Glenwood Avenue and Washington Street locations will use equipment supplied by Parkeon, and the Bloomfield Avenue and Conger Street stations will use equipment supplied by the IPS Group, officials said.
Machines at all four locations will accept cash and card payments, at a rate of 25 cents per 15 minutes. The Parkeon machines are partially power by solar energy and can be remote-controlled from a central office, officials said.
As part of the agreement, Bloomfield will establish three 15 minutes free spots on Lackawanna Place near Washington Street and three 15 minutes free parking spots on Glenwood Avenue near Lackawanna Place, officials said.
“The Township Council and I began efforts last year to modernize our outdated parking enforcement system by dissolving the Bloomfield Parking Authority to consolidate services,” Mayor Michael Venezia stated.
“This pay-by-plate technology that is used in Hoboken and other nearby cities has proven to save time and resource, which in turn save taxpayers’ dollars,” Venezia said. “We entered into a 90-day trial to assess whether or not this technology will have the same positive effects in Bloomfield, before deciding whether or not to adopt this system on a permanent basis throughout the town.”
