Doylestown is considering an increase in meter fees as well as implementing new Smart Meters around town that take credit cards.
Increasing meter fees and adding “smart” meters in Doylestown Borough are just some of the recommendations that will be discussed next month during a Public Safety Committee meeting on parking.
The meeting will be held Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 7 p.m. in Doylestown Borough Hall.
During the meeting, new recommendations from the borough’s Parking Meter Study Committee will be discussed.
According to the borough, the Parking Meter Study Committee was created by borough council to help determine necessary upgrades to the borough’s parking meter system. A study by Walker Parking Consultants was used as a starting point.
Then, the committee met for several months to come up with its recommendations.
The following recommendations will be discussed, according to the borough:
1. Upgrade the borough’s three-hour limit parking meters to single space “smart meters” capable of accepting credit cards and quarters
2. Implement a cell phone payment system for all meters
3. Convert the current monthly rental spaces in the Clinton Street Parking Lot to smart meters
4. Convert the monthly rental spaces in the Wood Street Parking Lot to ten-hour limit traditional meters.
In addition, the committee is recommending restructuring of the borough’s parking meter fees as follows:
1. The current three hour limit meter hourly rate of $.25 is one half of the next lowest rate in the region. The recommendation calls for an increase in that rate to $1 per hour in keeping with the regional average.
2. The cost of the ten hour limit (yellow banded) meter permit would remain the same. The current ten hour limit meter hourly rate of $.25 for two hours for those without permits would increase to $.50 per hour.
3. Keep the borough’s citation amount the same.