Some merchants in the Village of Roslyn are raising questions about changes in downtown parking meters.
Roslyn Chamber of Commerce Vice President Lou Federico said the chamber has heard “a groundswell of comments” from more than a dozen village merchants unhappy about the changes, especially the elimination of the 10-minute grace period ticket option and changing the effective times from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day to 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays with a free day on Mondays.
The changes took effect on June 1, and parking costs $1 an hour.
“We want to encourage shopping and not hamper it in the village,” Federico said. “Right now, we want to discuss with the trustees what is the best alternative. We’re not convinced that this is the best alternative.”
Federico said the chamber would be on the agenda for the village trustees meeting on Tuesday, June 19, at 8 p.m. at Village Hall and invited other merchants and residents to attend and voice their opinions.
The changes came after complaints about the meters not working and a study commissioned by the village carried out by traffic engineer Gerald Giosa of Level G Associates.
In the report dated April 4, Giosa said he has studied the meters since 2016 and saw parking meter revenues decline significantly in 2017 compared with 2016, dropping about 44 percent, or $93,500.
In 2016, $212,469 was collected from cash and credit card payments, while only $118,973 was collected in 2017.
In the study, Giosa said the 10-minute grace period ticket could be the primary cause of revenue decline.
When he compared collections from a Wednesday in March 2016 when no grace period was offered to a similar Wednesday in March 2018 since the implementation of the free 10-minute ticket, a 40 percent reduction in revenue was seen despite a similar number of tickets being issued.
In 2016, a 15-minute ticket was an option for 25 cents.
During the May meeting, Mayor John Durkin said the 10-minute grace period would be replaced by free parking all day Monday, which is the slowest day in the village.
“If the village were to consider eliminating the 10 minute grace period but allowing free parking on Sundays, the net effect would probably be a parking revenue increase of about $80,000 per year,” Giosa said in the study.
Monday accounted for only 8.3 percent of total parking meter revenue based on receipts sampled last October.
Reach reporter Amelia Camurati by email at acamurati@theislandnow.com, by phone at 516-307-1045, ext. 215, or follow her on Twitter @acamurati.
