Parking Meter Revenues Tank

This is a confused article. The city is in a contract dispute with a vendor. Sounds like the vendor is withholding payment due to the city as part of the dispute. What is the dispute about and what is the likely resolution? Is this a cautionary tale about about outsourcing or the architecture of contracts? Broken meters* and the (temporary?) impact on revenue are another issue altogether.

• https://youtu.be/FoqMxGnQY8I

If 10% are broken at any one time. Seems to me that would increase revenues easily if there was enough staff to fix them promptly.

Also don't we want less reliance on cars? Lower parking revenues would indicate people are walking, biking, bussing, etc more.

ParkMobile is really user friendly. Sounds like New Haveners should vote with our phones and use it instead of Passport. Perhaps the city can incent this move to ParkMobile by phasing out the Passport option soon?

Stop giving free parking to fancy hybrid drivers. That was a good policy 15 years ago but it isn't any longer. Use that revenue to fix the buses and sidewalks instead please.

I own a hybrid and, against my own self-interest, 100% agree with anonymous. This policy was always regressive and now it's totally outdated. Getting rid of it won't raise nearly enough money to fix the buses and the sidewalks but we should get rid of it just because it's bad policy.

I agree with anonymous on the archaic free parking for hybrids rule.

I stopped driving because of the 1hr max in spots. I would feed continuously feed the meter but then the parking dorks started ticketing for staying in the same spot too long even with a fed meter. Rules and rules and that's fine, the city just doesn't get my parking $$$ anymore.

Seems to me that Hausladen is mostly interested in bikes, not parking for cars which I believe is supposed to be his prime responsibility, , What reason is there to go Downtown these days, anyway? I live in Hamden and have not stopped Downtown in years, and do not expect to do so very soon, What is up?

Yes, the city has been hostile to automobile drivers, particularly unwelcoming to suburbanites who might patronize New haven's restaurants, etc., in the evening. The loss of the Oak Street Connector, residents' only parking, and conversion of parking to outdoor seating areas all tell me New Haven doesn't want me coming into it. It's fine with me. There are lots of great restaurants on the shoreline, and in Milford, Fairfield, all with free parking.

Anonymous is right on. The free parking for hybrids was a great incentive at a time when such vehicles were new to the market. Now that they are mainstream, it's time to nix the free ride. Perhaps the city could offer owners a 'discounted' annual pass of, say, $500. Those who park infrequently can just use the meters, and those who park frequently can take advantage of the price break.

I was running Traffic and Parking at the time the hybrid free parking was passed. At the time, I thought it was good politics and bad policy. For better or worse, no one asked me about it. In any event, laws like this should always have sunset clauses, requiring them to be reviewed after 5 years or some other time limit.

If one wanted to incentivize/reward people choosing less harmful cars, good policy would be to tie this to something like the ACEEE greenercars standard, which evolves over time. It's what LEED does for its low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles credit in which "low-emitting vehicles are defined as vehicles that are classified as Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) by the California Air Resources Board. Fuel-efficient vehicles are defined as vehicles that have achieved a minimum green score of 40 on the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) annual vehicle rating guide."

Here's the latest ACEEE list: https://greenercars.org/news/list-leed-qualified-cars.

Disclaimer: I drive an all-electric Chevy Bolt.

I think that 1644 is totally right on. I live downtown and I don't want suburbanites' cars clogging up our streets. Good riddance! We should be focusing on improving public transportation. Connecticut has a relatively high population density but we can't get our act together on public transit

Looks like we have finally started the conversation! Thank you Mr. Breen!

I blogged about this and emailed the new administration 2 weeks ago. I had been asking the Finance Department and the BOA for an explanation for 9 months, with no response.

I wrote "On the revenue side there is an item that has bothered me for quite some time: Parking Meter Revenue. You see, parking meter revenue is actually DOWN from $2.7 million in FY '17-'18 to $2.1 million in '19 - '20. This despite what appears to be many new parking meters added across the city, and an increase in the meter rates. This is surprising. I've been asking City Finance and the City BOA for an explanation for 9 months but nobody seems to have an answer. This is not surprising"

We have more meters and higher rates than 2 years ago, but less revenue. I go downtown often and its hard to find street parking. Something smells here.

It seems we still don't have an answer. Lots of guessing but not much in the way of answers. The City is facing a huge deficit. Figuring this out should be priority #1 for Transit Chief Doug Hausladen.

Dennis Serfilippi
https://www.ournewhaven.org/  

How is the premium charge for peak hours in certain downtown locations working out?
New Haven's meter charges are higher than those in Stamford, CT. Why? Are we wealthier???
I find the meters hard to read at night or when it's raining.
Just another aggravating factor in New Haven life.
Nickel and diming us while Yale and YNHH hoard their cash

The GoNewHaven mobile parking app hasn't worked for months. It crashes on my phone every time I try to use it, I think ever since iOS 13.

Agree with Paul Wessel. There is clearly a problem, but it is hard to figure that out from the article.

Many cities in Europe and Asia charge a fee per car to drive into congested central areas. In some cities the automobile has been banned altogether. Parking lots have been established at the edges of designated pedestrian zones where the only vehicles allowed are delivery vans.
New York City is about to institute a charge to drivers who enter Manhattan below Central Park.
At a time when New Haven is more congested with motor vehicles than at any time that I can remember, this idea is well worth considering. Suburbanites employed in New Haven who speed through our streets ignoring traffic signals and the rights of pedestrians should be made to pay for the privilege of driving into the center of New Haven. This would reduce congestion, reduce pollution, and make up for lost parking meter revenue.

The hybrid parking ordinance was created as a temporary incentive for a new technology. It was amended a few years later to cover only vehicles with combined mileage of over 35 mpg because hybrid technology was more common and being used for all sorts of vehicles - not just the most eco-friendly ones. When that amendment was made, we added a sunset clause so that it would have to be reauthorized (with any further changes) after three years. The language in the Code of General Ordinances (Sec. 29-56) states:

"This ordinance amendment [Ord. No. 1424] reauthorizing the pilot program shall need to be reauthorized three (3) years from the date it first takes effect."

Sounds like the city is issuing permits based on an ordinance that is no longer in effect.

I couldn't find anywhere on the city website mention of the hybrid parking incentive, so I should amend my statement. The City might have sunsetted the program correctly, and I and the other commenters here just didn't read about it...

I know how to get Parking Revenues Up.Put parking meters on Bike Racks.

@Rob Smuts - I shouldn't have doubted you! I've received my hybrid parking permit for the past two years, so apparently I am a city-authorized scofflaw!

New Haven monthly parking garages should have a low resident rate and a high out of city rate. This is a great way, in the absence of tolls, for the city itself to create a user tax for non residents who use cars for this scarce resource. it would also encourage legal registration of city resident cars and relieve city tax payers of some of the burden of subsidizing suburban commuters.

Here's the current language, including the 3 year sunset clause: https://library.municode.com/ct/new_haven/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIIICOGEOR_CH29TRMOVE_ARTIIIPASTST_DIV1GE_S29-56FRREPAHYVEOTAUALFUVE

I'm always amused and not a little mystified by the comments in articles like this one by people who complain about parking downtown. Having lived in New Haven with a car for fifteen years and spent much time downtown, I've literally never once had a problem finding parking, even around most big public events. If your idea of "parking" is formed by suburbia--driving up and parking RIGHT IN FRONT of your venue then, yes, you'll be disappointed. However, if you're not afraid of parking somewhere and walking a block or two, you're fine. I can't help thinking that maybe a little exercise wouldn't be a bad thing for the parking whiners.

1644 is correct. People with cars are not welcome in NH, so we go elsewhere. All the fancy renters of the market rate apartments who hate cars park THEIR cars and every space is taken anyway. hope these renters bring all the business NH is dreaming of.... but I bet they don't.

Also- crappy deals with companies who don't maintain their meters and a City that does not pay its bills add up to disaster . NH doesn't have any problem crucifying residential property owners for taxes, though; unless they are a slumlord.

Shocking but I agree with Patricia Kane. Can't believe I wrote that!

Esteban-- LOTSA LUCK getting outtatowners to pay to come to NH. BTW, those speeders are locals for the most part.

One issue that could impact the meters are the "bagged meters" leaving many spaces empty. It's very frustrating. I also think it's confusing with different parking aps. ParkMobile is the easiest. Maybe the revenue from the parking tickets offsets the loss from the meter revenue..lol

The new administration should look at all of its technology contracts. The online permitting system through the building department that the city previously had (viewpermit) was pretty solid. Suddenly, and after a very short time with viewpermit, the city changes to some new vendor with significantly less functionality (at least so far). I wonder why? They've been digitizing all (maybe) records for a while now but nothing has been made available to the public. And the public can only come in to see files Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (which is really inconvenient).

Two or three employees in the IT department could implement many thoughtful changes and improvements to existing platforms that benefit city staff and the public. I am sure it's immensely complicated but it probably doesn't require much hard investment, just time and effort.

Making the City more accessible through technology is a great idea that just keeps paying for itself with minimal added cost.

I love ParkMobile and use it every time I park downtown. I benefited from the hybrid parking pass it think it should be eliminated. The technology has reached a point of ubiquity where we don't need to incentivize it locally.

Did I read that article correctly about the phone in the mayors bathroom and mayor harp not using a cell phone or am I crazy?

Residents should be able to pay for everything from parking meters to taxes to LCI fines etc through simple online payment systems from phones or mobile platforms. If you can buy food with one click why can't you pay your taxes in the same way?

susaniii : The city charges $20 per day per bag. It actually gets a significant amount of revenue from bags, mostly from Yale (there's a budget line for it). Personally, I think a fee of $100/day/spot would be closer to market value, maybe $150, at least if it's on 24 hours. Twenty dollars is less than a meter overtime ticket. It probably hasn't been raised in many years.
https://www.newhavenct.gov/gov/depts/traffic/permits_applications_and_fees/permits_applications_n_fees.htm

There is a disincentive to repair broken meters if they can collect ticket fines from people who park at them -- despite the city not holding up its end to allow parkers to pay for time on a functioning meter. It's wrong to insist everyone must have a smart phone and credit card to use these apps.

1644, I agree that the bag fee is too low. It would be an opportunity to test dynamic fees. It would make sense to charge more for spots in high demand areas.

Your first comment reminded me of Yogi Berra's line that his favorite restaurant had gotten so crowded that nobody goes there anymore. There are lots of ways the city could improve parking. But the growing numbers of drivers and pedestrians downtown suggests it's not an insuperable problem.

1644, I agree that the bag fee is too low. It would be an opportunity to test dynamic fees. It would make sense to charge more for spots in high demand areas.

Your first comment reminded me of Yogi Berra's line that his favorite restaurant had gotten so crowded that nobody goes there anymore. There are lots of ways the city could improve parking. But the growing numbers of drivers and pedestrians downtown suggests it's not an insuperable problem.

Kevin: Are there really more cars downtown? Do traffic studies support that statement? Or are the streets more congested because New Haven has reversed old efforts to reduce congestion, such as the Oak Street Connector? Are restaurants and stores more crowded? I don't know, because I don't go as often as I used to due to the difficulty of patronizing downtown and State Street establishments. Can the downtown commercial establishments survive solely on the custom of downtown residents? There are lots of empty storefronts downtown, but there are also lots of empty storefronts in suburbia. It's Amazon, plus increased costs imposed by the State, such as wage increases.

1644, at least in parts of downtown there are more cars. I live on the border of East Rock and downtown. For the past five years, I have biked in the adjacent part of downtown virtually every day. In that part of downtown there has definitely been an increase in car traffic. I suspect that this is true elsewhere downtown, if only because the increase in the number of residents.

Amazon has definitely contributed to the empty storefronts. But I don't think the minimum wage increase has had much impact. Brick and mortar retail is struggling in states that have raised the minimum wage and those that have not. And restaurants in New Haven have been thriving. (Tipped workers are paid a lower minimum wage than non-tipped workers, but historically both have moved in tandem.)

I agree with quinnipiacave: in WHAT WAY do people feel downtown New Haven is hostile to them and their cars!? And who are these people who think it's impossible to find parking? I've lived here a while, and lately I'd agree that there are more cars sometimes. A busy weekend night could be frustrating, sure. But is it a nightmare? Not even close. You just circle around until you find a spot. It's not that complicated. And downtown New Haven is small; no matter where you park, you might only be two blocks or so from where you're going. And isn't the fact that there are lots of people out and about a good thing??

So what's the problem? Is it really that people can't park right in front of the place they're going, so therefore downtown is hostile to cars? I'm asking somewhat honestly here, cuz I don't get what's so bad compared to any other place.

As for the parking meters: perhaps another factor for less parking meter revenue is that more people may indeed be biking/walking or using Uber/Lyft rides? I assume it can't be enough to offset that much money, but a factor at least?

Seems to me that having so many meters is a waste of resources- it requires more employees to 1. collect the monies, repair the meters, ticket offenders. Why not only use the multi-space meter system whereby an entire area is covered by a "central station". These are commonly found in cities small and large. Worst case is someone needs to walk a half block or so to make their payment.

I'm all for New Haven updating its IT system and make life easier for us by allowing almost every transaction to be made online via mobile or computer. And those convenience fees for the few sites we can pay online have to go- the $ saved when one calculates all of the person-time that goes into paying bills, etc should yield a net savings of time that can be put to better uses.

Somebody help me understand this seemingly contradictory statement:

When asked about Passport's statement that it "does not collect the city's parking meter revenue," city transit chief Doug Hausladen (at right in above photo) responded that, for the purposes of the city's financial reporting, Passport does indeed. That's because the city counts mobile pay for parking meters as revenue collection in its monthly reports and annual budget.

So it sounds like the city can start ticketing hybrid car owners now, if it isn't doing so already? Great.

Three fifths, I brought up meters for bike racks as a joke in a Mayora meeting once a year ago.
It was not well received. i personally have been run into by cyclists riding on sidewalks, let's ticket a few and use the revenue to fix the meters.

Okay, I resisted commenting here when this was published because of high potential for piling-on, but I do think there's a serious need for a reality check here.

• The assumption that people parking are all "suburbanites" is far from my experience (born and raised in New Haven). I would not at all be surprised if most people parking downtown are New Haven taxpayers and people who work in New Haven (also quite welcome).
  
  
• Chasing people from the surrounding towns out of downtown is the death knell for local business owners, who see either feast or famine on a weekly basis depending on the day of the week. This goes doubly for non-profits and community orgs.
  
  
• New Haven taxpayers pay plenty in taxes on their vehicles. Having no perks, let alone the minor perk for hybrids, is absurd to me (hybrid market share is about 2-3% and has dropped in the past few years, so I'm not sure why the hubbub). The 9pm end of paid parking is too late, and the Sunday paid parking is absurd.
  
  
• Has anyone here ever circled around and around and around for parking downtown? If so, how many empty lots and garages have you passed in the process? There's clearly plenty of demand, but the garages and lots are too expensive or too exclusive or both (or just locked/chained off).
  
  
• I think public transit is extremely important. But, putting aside for a moment people with disabilities etc. who can't feasibly ride the bus, it's completely ridiculous to assume people can build their lives around the (erratic and inconsistent) bus schedule. Not everyone can ride a bike, even if it is safe to do so.
  
  
• Yes, there are people who live in New Haven who are not within a mile or so of the green who are not "suburbanites" but should reasonably expect to find parking downtown at some point in their day. Try to cross the Tomlinson Bridge, as I have, at busy times on a bike and you'll be quite aware of the hazards of doing so. Forget about carrying anything significant or in inclement weather.

Private parking lots have been lost to new construction. That, plus the one-two punch of meters until 9 PM and infraction charge going to $20 let's them charge more. Having done the "parking shark" routine countless times I will occasionally hit the Crown street lot.

As far as I know parking on Sundays and holidays is still free.

I will say this: if I can thank some of BS for having the credit card meters installed then it is almost worth it.

@Matt yes you're right, I thought the variable rate concept also meant there were high-traffic spaces paid on Sunday, but that doesn't seem to be the case.