Cape May to Remove Some Electronic Parking Meters

CAPE MAY – City Manager Bruce MacLeod said the city would remove Reino electronic parking meters located on side streets that run from Beach Avenue to the Washington Street Mall and replace them with standard parking meters mounted on a post at each space.
He said the city received complaints quite often that the Reino electronic meters and signage were not visible.
MacLeod said most of the time that was due to Cape May’s “very nicely tree-lined streets” which obstructed the view of Reino central station meters that serve a block of parking spaces. He said the city was putting together bid specifications to take bids to replace Reino electronic parking meters.
“We are still targeting a multi-meter device but hopefully one that will be more suitable and have improvements on problems we have had,” said MacLeod.
Some of the problems with the Reino meters experienced by users include being unable to read the display screen due to sun glare and the screen going dark within 10 seconds of touching it at night. He said one of the appealing features of the Reino meters was their small size and the promise they would not clutter the streetscape.
“In our case it’s rather had the opposite effect, it’s been hard for the individual drivers to find the unit, to know that they need to make payment,” said MacLeod.
He said the city would seek bids for new meters by the end of the year. The city spent about $200,000 on the Reino meters which were installed four years ago.MacLeod said four years exceeds a trial period where visitors would eventually get accustomed to the Reino meters.
At a Wed. Nov. 3 City Council meeting, Councilman Bill Murray said he received a proposal to undertake an analysis of parking meters in the Washington Street Mall area by Chuck Pritchard, a member of the city¹s Tourism Commission.
“What they propose to do is have certain stakeholders get together in the city that includes City Council, the police department, public works, Tourism Commission, Washington Street Mall Business Improvement District, chamber of commerce, parking committee, Mid Atlantic Center for Arts and taxpayers association to talk about parking,” he said.
Murray said drivers were experiencing problems with electronic, central station meters. He said while he was on fire police duty, three individuals advised him they could not get the meters to work.
A survey from the Taxpayers Association of Cape May showed parking meters were one of the principal problems tourists have when visiting here.
Murray recommended that council take advantage of Pritchard¹s proposal, at least to participate in discussions. He volunteered to represent City Council.
“It is something very important that no doubt aggravates the heck out of people that come to the town and we have to do something to at least with these Reino meters we have out there that are not working satisfactorily,”said Murray.
Mayor Edward J. Mahaney Jr. said city councils have been studying the parking meter situation in Cape May for 40 years. He suggested council discuss the matter with the public at noon on Dec. 7 in City Hall Auditorium.