Woodstock chief: So far, so good on new meters, parking app

One of Woodstock’s new parking kiosks sits at the eastern edge of the Village Green. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

A new parking system was launched in downtown Woodstock, Vermont, a week ago, and the local police chief said it's been smooth sailing so far.

One of the things people like the most, Chief Robbie Blish said, is the ability to pay for parking on a mobile phone — instead of having to rush back to the meter in person to buy more time. The village's new parking system has 49 parking meters and also includes pay-to-park kiosks serving The Green and the Mechanic Street lot.

"From what I understand, the feedback has been mostly positive," Blish said, adding the ability to pay from a distance is helpful in a pandemic. "One of the biggest positive responses has been around the ParkMobile app, and it really fits into where we are today, being contactless. You can do it all from your phone."

Not everyone likes that, however. Blish noted that when signs about the app was being installed, several elderly residents saw them and remarked that they weren't keen on the idea. But the single-space meters still take coins and credit cards.

"We hope that everyone has the opportunity to pay the way they're comfortable with," Blish said.

The primary reason for the new parking system was that the previous meters, which were bought used and refurbished, were having issues and didn't last as long as the village was originally told, according to Jeff Kahn, chair of the Woodstock Village Trustees. However, the new system also greatly reduces the number of meters and adds the ability to pay via the app.

The new meters are similar to the ones used in Burlington, Vermont, and nearby Hanover, New Hampshire. Before the Village Trustees made the decision on the meters last year, Kahn went to Hanover to try it out first-hand and let his parking run out to test the app. He received a notice on his phone when the money ran out, and paying was easy.

"Based on that experience, it was one of the things I was recommending," Kahn said of the app.

The parking rate is still $1 per hour, parking tickets remain at $10, and parking enforcement is still 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The app charges a 35-cent transaction fee.

One feature of the new system is that it provides the ability to adjust parking rates in different zones at particular times of year, Blish said, offering the following example.

"If you want to push turnover during foliage, you could increase rates on Elm and Central, and leave them lower around The Green, to encourage people from in town, (to) park around The Green," Blish said.

Kahn said turnover is still the main reason for having parking meters and remains an issue to this day. But how to use the capability the new system offers has yet to be decided.

"We have not made a decision yet about how we want to adjust rates for different locations, but with the new meters and kiosks, it's much easier to do," Kahn said. "We have yet to come up with a plan as to when and where we want to do rate adjustments."

Those using the parking app should take note of the zone number on the ParkMobile sign near where they park; that number will have to be entered when paying for parking. There are 11 zones in the village.

Overall, Blish hoped the new system would make paying for parking easier for people. He expected fewer situations in which someone tried to pay and couldn't.

"Really our goal is to create a better parking experience for the customer, so they feel better about parking in Woodstock than they did before," Blish said.

— Gareth Henderson