With several upgrades on the horizon, the train station commuter parking lots might become slightly more tolerable.
For 2015 the West Windsor Parking Authority (WWPA) is planning to introduce security cameras, a mobile app payment system, and installing a “new” walking trail between lots.
The new security cameras would be installed on the Wallace and Vaughn lots, which are owned by the WWPA, and a live feed would be available for viewing on the WWPA’s website.
“The hope would be to provide a feed of the different spots of the lot. You’d see everything,” says Andy Lupo, chairman of the WWPA board. “We’d like to think it’s a deterrent for the criminal element. Also, there would be a live feed to indicate open spots.”
The WWPA is aiming to begin installation by the end of the year. The preliminary cost is $300,000 for cameras and electric work, and the WWPA is also coordinating with the police department on system monitoring.
A new pay-to-park mobile application for daily parking is expected to be rolled out earlier. According to Lupo, commuters pulling into a daily parking spot would log in to the smartphone parking application and signal they have parked. User app accounts would be registered with license plates and linked to a debit or pre-paid account. Currently, daily parkers purchase tokens at a machine or from an attendant.
“Sometimes people make an honest mistake, they input parking spot 121 instead of 112,” Lupo says. “Now they say they are parking there, and they are good. We’re hoping to replace the existing machines. That’s scheduled for the next few months, weather permitting, and set up the app before the end of the year for sure.”
As for the “new” trail, commuters hustling to reach the train platform have hammered into creation an existing forest path, and future runners will enjoy a smoother trail after installations by the Authority.
The proposed trail cuts through the forest separating the Vaughn and Alexander lots, saving commuters four minutes of walking time, ending at the crosswalk that connects to the sidewalk island leading to the platform.
Lupo declined to give details pending approvals from NJ Transit and the state Department of Environmental Protection, but the trail will include a lit pathway and wood planks to avoid muddy areas. He says the six-week project is expected to begin sometime in the spring or summer. There are also plans for a phased repaving of the Wallace lot slated for the summer vacation period to minimize disruption.
The Parking Authority anticipates more than $1.1 million in revenue for 2015 and $950,000 in expenses. Snow removal and cold weather maintenance are the WWPA’s biggest expenses: $500,000 has already been spent this year. In 2014 the total cost was $1.5 million.
Up to five percent of net income is given to the township, and the remaining surplus is budgeted for future projects. There is also revenue from parking tickets: last year the Authority averaged 250 tickets a month, contributing $150,000 to the township.
The proposed 2015 township budget lists $92,206 in anticipated parking authority revenue from surplus funds and lease payments from the parking facility on the Compost Site.
This year the WWPA raised the parking rate for non-resident permit holders to $195 per quarter, while the parking rate for township residents has not increased from $120 per quarter.
