In response to input from local shoppers, residents, business owners and the Central Avenue Special Improvement District (CASID), the Jersey City Parking Authority (JCPA) Board of Commissioners approved a resolution at its October 15 meeting to reinstate a lower parking rate in municipal lots on Central Avenue.
The parking rate, which had been raised earlier this year to 25 cents per 20 minutes, has been returned to its previous rate of 25 cents per 30 minutes. The reinstated rate is the same as the rate charged by on-street meters throughout the city. In the lot behind Burger King on Central Avenue, patrons are able to park for up to four hours.
The new multi-space parking meter installed in the lot earlier this year will remain, serving 50 spots in the portion of the Burger King lot that fronts on Central Avenue. For the convenience of shoppers, the Parking Authority plans to add a second multi-space meter to replace the remaining single-space meters in the lot. Under the new multi-space system, patrons pay at the central meter and keep their receipts with them. There is no need to place parking receipts on car dashboards, as Parking Authority employees are able to monitor the time left on all spaces using software in the multi-space meter. It is anticipated that the return to lower rates and the addition of the new machine will make the lot more user-friendly.
“This rate reduction will go a long way towards making shoppers feel comfortable parking and doing business on Central Avenue,” said Michael Yun, president of the CASID. He also noted that the lower rate and the four-hour limit in the lot behind Burger King will allow the 1600+ employees of Central Avenue businesses to focus on the job without worrying about feeding a meter. “We appreciate how the JCPA Commissioners and Chief Executive Director Mark Russ have responded to the needs of the business community,” he said.