Contemplating putting your name on the waiting list for a parking pass at the Princeton Junction train station? Make sure you’re serious about wanting the space, because the West Windsor Parking Authority is contemplating raising the application fees.##M:[more]##
The move is being contemplated as a way to ensure people who put their names on the list are very serious about a permit, says Parking Authority Chairman Andy Lupo. “When people hear horror stories about the long waiting list, they sometimes throw the names of their children on there,” he says.
This has proven to be problematic for the parking authority, which is determining how many spaces really are needed at the station, and is trying to ensure that the number of people on the waiting list, which it is using as a guide, is as accurate as possible.
Currently, the authority is only getting about 50 percent acceptance of the parking permits, which means one of two people are turning the permit down when their names are called. “If we gave them some incentive — money back or credited toward your first quarter you can actually use the permit — this will help them stay on top of the permit process,” says Lupo.
Right now, the fee is $5 to apply for parking permit and put a name on the waiting list. Tentative numbers being proposed for the new fee range from $50 to $75. However, Lupo stressed that the fee hike would have to be approved by New Jersey Transit. The parking authority is only allowed to change the fees for West Windsor residents without NJT’s permission. But the parking authority is looking at allowing a portion of that application fee to either be refunded or used toward a person’s first quarter payment for the permit fee when his or her name does come up.
Lupo also says the current $5 fee does not cover the administrative costs associated with maintenance of the waiting list, which requires reminders to be sent out to those on the list. Sometimes the $5 does not cover the cost of sending the letter. Lupo says the parking authority is also trying to put the waiting list online, so that people have the opportunity to access the waiting list instead of calling, and they can easily indicate if they have changed their addresses or moved.
The parking authority has contacted New Jersey Transit regarding its proposal, but has not yet heard back. “I think that’s the key for us right now — wait to see what their thinking is,” Lupo says.
