Parking meters - Page 5 of 6 - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG.

Posted on February 3, 2015 February 3, 2015

Ridgewood advances on parking meter plan

Ridgewood advances on parking meter plan

FEBRUARY 3, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The village council is moving closer to a plan to partially automate its parking meters — an effort that could reduce the potential for theft of meter revenue.

The village manager also is recommending that the council set aside $13,000 to update all its single-head parking meters with secure canisters, which would restrict access to the coins inside them.

The council is expected to vote on a resolution to contract with Atlanta-based Parkmobile — the makers of a smartphone app that allows people to pay with credit cards — when it meets Feb. 11.

“I think this is a great opportunity for us, and it’s something we could do relatively quick,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said, pointing out that the system could be “up and running” within six weeks.

“I, too, believe [this] is the way to go, as the meter system will become obsolete in the future,” Councilwoman Susan Knudsen said.

The village started examining how it collects and stores parking meter revenue following the arrest two years ago of its public works manager for stealing more than $450,000 in meter quarters from a storage room in Village Hall. Thomas Rica used a building master key he was given to regularly enter the room and stole quarters for two years.

Rica pleaded guilty in March to four counts of third-degree theft. He was sentenced in July to five years’ probation and ordered to repay about $250,000.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-advances-on-parking-meter-plan-1.1263409

Posted on December 30, 2014 June 27, 2021

BIG CHANGES FOR PARKING IN VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD EFFECTIVE 1/5/15

BIG CHANGES FOR PARKING IN VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD EFFECTIVE 1/5/15

-ALL parking METERS AND LOT PARKING will have 3 HOUR time limits
and cost 50 CENTS AN HOUR (including municipal lots)

More time to shop and dine for customers

– REPEAT PARKING WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.

–*Employees can buy a **monthly pass at Village Hall for parking at-
(**monthly passes can be shared among employees*)
Ken Smith (which is next to the NJ train station/east side) and Cottage Street lot (which is behind The GAP) .*The cost is $80 per month. Spaces are limited. Credit cards accepted.
*Call Village of Ridgewood 201-670-5500 x200 for the details. *When you have the monthly pass, you do not pay the meters during the day.*Hang tags only good in lots.

Send your concerns to info@ridgewoodchamber.com

Customers now can shop and dine for 3 hours and not worry about the meters.
50 cents and hour is what most towns charge for parking.

Please tell your employees and customer about the changes!

Posted on October 24, 2014 October 24, 2014

Ridgewood adds an extra hour to parking meters

Ridgewood adds an extra hour to parking meters

OCTOBER 24, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Shoppers and diners will now have an extra hour of parking in Ridgewood.

The Village Council voted on Wednesday to convert all of Ridgewood’s two-hour meters to three-hour meters.

Business leaders have advocated for the change, noting that the switch will give customers more time to leisurely shop and dine without worrying about a parking ticket.

Some concerns about the three-hour limit were previously raised by Councilwoman Susan Knudsen, who argued that four hours was more leisurely. The council ultimately settled on three hours, citing varied reasoning, including the fear that four-hour meters would entice part-time workers to use those spots rather than shoppers.

“It’s never going to be perfect,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said, noting that the meter time could be changed again. “We’ll have to monitor the situation.”

This plan to convert two-hour meters to three-hour meters comes in tandem with a larger discussion about short-term parking solutions. These solutions being discussed would serve as a temporary balm to Ridgewood’s parking woes while the village explores its long-term options, including a proposed county-funded garage (see story on page A1).

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/extra-hour-added-to-meters-parking-1.1117078#sthash.6Bq5I4M8.dpuf

Posted on October 10, 2014 May 29, 2016

Ridgewood News editorial: Parking plan needs more input

Ridgewood News editorial: Parking plan needs more input

OCTOBER 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2014, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print

Officials took notice of public outcries over the Garber Square project this summer and PSE&G’s utility pole installation in 2013, and they learned that everyone should have a say when an impactful undertaking moves toward the horizon.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-editorials/parking-plan-needs-input-1.1106605#sthash.homSBShO.dpuf

Posted on October 5, 2014 October 5, 2014

Ridgewood looking at parking proposals

Ridgewood looking at parking proposals

OCTOBER 5, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Village officials unveiled several parking proposals they hope will attract visitors to the downtown business district and also ease parking for residents.

One proposal offered at Wednesday’s council meeting would standardize parking hours, fees and durations throughout the village.

“All downtown meters would run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” according to the proposal, altering the current 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. range.

Also, all downtown meters would offer three- or four-hour parking, as opposed to the current limit of two hours.

“All downtown meters will cost 25 cents per half-hour,” the proposal states, adding existing 15-minute parking spaces would remain.

“This will make parking easier and simpler for shoppers and diners, enhancing the overall downtown experience,” according to the plan.

Another proposal seeks to restrict long-term parking passes — currently sold to residents and non-residents on an annual basis — to Ridgewood residents only. At present, about 120 out-of-town commuters pay the same amount as residents for long-term parking passes, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said. An alternative proposal would have non-residents pay twice as much for the long-term pass.

“There is a parking scarcity in this town,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said at the council’s meeting Wednesday, adding it has taken out-of-the-box thinking to determine ways of improving it.

The issue of parking in Ridgewood has been front and center in recent weeks at public forums organized by Deputy Mayor Al Pucciarelli. At these gatherings, residents and business owners have keyed in on parking as the village’s biggest hindrance.

The Village Council recently reached a deal to provide off-site parking for downtown business employees on Franklin Avenue, at the former Ken Smith site.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/council-considers-parking-upgrades-1.1102744#sthash.oGxHLntR.dpuf

Posted on October 4, 2014 October 4, 2014

PARKING: More action is needed, not meetings

PARKING: More action is needed, not meetings

OCTOBER 3, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014, 9:16 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

More action, not meetings, is needed
Angela Cautillo

To the Editor:In the Friday, Sept. 26, 2014, issue of The Ridgewood News, I was reading the article titled “Panel says parking is source of problems.” It was good to hear the comments from business owners and landlords alike, but is this really news to anyone? Ridgewood is not moving forward was the message.

The article also stated that the meeting attracted the smallest turnout in the series so far, only being attended by 30 people. That’s not surprising.

Yes, a low turnout is disappointing, but I would probably have to say it’s because so many Ridgewood business owners are thinking “been there, done that.” You can find in the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce archives that it was determined by Ridgewood business leaders that there was a parking problem back in 1924.

As a former board member of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and later as its director, I tried to get the ball rolling for a parking garage in the business district. I urged the then council that it was for the future of Ridgewood’s business success, but all that happened was more money wasted on yet another parking study that said we needed more parking.

I was told by a former village manager that I would never see a parking garage in Ridgewood. It was very disheartening to hear and very sad to see the lack of vision of the Village Council at the time. Yet the buck keeps getting passed, since it’s been more than two decades after my push, 90 years after the first record of a parking problem in Ridgewood and there’s still non-solution.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-more-action-is-needed-not-meetings-1.1102020#sthash.uHa70zep.dpuf

Posted on October 3, 2014 October 3, 2014

Ridgewood seeks feedback on proposed changes to meters

Ridgewood seeks feedback on proposed changes to meters

OCTOBER 2, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014, 4:36 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Ridgewood’s two-hour meters, 12-hour meters, and non-resident parking permits might soon be gone.

Village officials are discussing resident-only permit parking and putting a three-hour time limit on all downtown meters (except for the 15-minute spots).

These ideas are being lauded as the latest measures to help improve Ridgewood’s parking situation in the short term. Now, officials are looking for resident feedback, Mayor Paul Aronsohn announced at Wednesday’s council meeting.

The mayor noted that a compilation of the new short-term ideas, titled “Ridgewood Downtown Parking Initiative,” will be put on the village website (ridgewoodnj.net) for public review before any action is taken.

“Parking’s been on everyone’s mind,” Aronsohn said. “We’ve been kicking around a lot of ideas … We really need to take care of Ridgewood residents first.”

According to a preliminary version of the document provided to The Ridgewood News, the village would make parking “easier, simpler, better” by standardizing the rules.

The village would do this first by making all downtown meters run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., cost 25 cents per half hour, and provide three-hour parking. Current meters provide 12-hour and two-hour parking limits.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/feedback-on-latest-proposals-sought-1.1101314#sthash.pkdoMQSd.dpuf

Posted on September 28, 2014 June 27, 2021

Reader says The problem is the inadequate security and accountability provided around the collected money and the unwillingness to FULLY PROSECUTE and FULLY RECOVER the money

file photo Boyd Loving

Reader says The problem is the inadequate security and accountability provided around the collected money and the unwillingness to FULLY PROSECUTE and FULLY RECOVER the money

If it aint broke – don’t fix it.

As to using the theft as a justification for implementing new meters – it is not the METERS fault that there was theft – it was the criminals fault – and if you “blame” the cash for “causing” the theft – then do you also blame the woman for her clothing or actions for “causing” the rape?

The problem is NOT the coin meters. The problem is the inadequate security and accountability provided around the collected money and the unwillingness to FULLY PROSECUTE and FULLY RECOVER the money.

But lets not address the REAL issue – lets implement new meters so we can waste more taxpayer money and line the pockets of a “friend” vendor and provide another data collection point to track citizens and then allow the coin money (and personal data) to be electronically stolen by overseas thieves.

Posted on September 26, 2014 September 26, 2014

Reader says anyone who defends the status quo Parking Meters here can only be a part of the problem. We’re not falling for it.

Reader says anyone who defends the status quo Parking Meters here can only be a part of the problem.

…and how amy millions will the new parking meters cost? with the added bonus of tracking residents shopping and parking habits via credit card use. Way to go.
— How about:
1) get all of the stolen money back
2) implement REAL security for the quarters – not just toss them in a open buckets in an unguarded closet.
New security measures have already been put into place which make future thefts much more difficult – so why do we need to spend millions on new parking meters?

So your argument is “let’s not install smart meters that will avoid any slippage for villagers” ? What kind of a Luddite are you ? New meters might threaten the long standing tradition of municipal employees stealing quarters to pay for personal entertainment or help with the mortgage or money launder it through AC, so let’s protest against them? Sorry , anyone who defends the status quo here can only be a part of the problem. We’re not falling for it.

Posted on September 21, 2014 September 21, 2014

Ridgewood seeks new way to collect coins from parking meters after massive theft

current coin collection file photo Boyd Loving

Ridgewood seeks new way to collect coins from parking meters after massive theft

SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2014, 12:20 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

It is situated next to a women’s bathroom, across the hall from a senior citizens lounge, and sits behind a nondescript door most would assume opens to utility storage.

But this is no closet.

Thousands of coins extracted from Ridgewood’s parking meters are stored in this little, elongated room on the first floor of Village Hall. It’s where Thomas Rica of Hawthorne, a former public works inspector, methodically stole $460,000 in coins — sneaking in and out of the room undetected for two years, between 2011 and 2013.

Today, Ridgewood’s now-infamous “coin room” is on lockdown. Security inside and around the room has been enhanced. Even the coins themselves are protected inside — secured within heavy canisters as opposed to being packed loosely in open cans, giving Rica a perfect opportunity to swipe fistfuls of quarters. And a villagewide audit of the collection and storage methods of all municipal monetary transactions is under way, local officials said.

But despite those reforms, the village’s method of collecting parking meter coins — in open containers that occasionally spill into the street — is still archaic. It’s a system that one resident warned village officials about in an email several years ago, before the discovery of Rica’s theft. And it’s a system that several nearby municipalities, including Westwood, Paterson and Passaic, abandoned years ago.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-seeks-new-way-to-collect-coins-from-parking-meters-after-massive-theft-1.1092781#sthash.bh0PHIBl.dpuf

SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2014, 12:20 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

It is situated next to a women’s bathroom, across the hall from a senior citizens lounge, and sits behind a nondescript door most would assume opens to utility storage.

But this is no closet.

Thousands of coins extracted from Ridgewood’s parking meters are stored in this little, elongated room on the first floor of Village Hall. It’s where Thomas Rica of Hawthorne, a former public works inspector, methodically stole $460,000 in coins — sneaking in and out of the room undetected for two years, between 2011 and 2013.

Today, Ridgewood’s now-infamous “coin room” is on lockdown. Security inside and around the room has been enhanced. Even the coins themselves are protected inside — secured within heavy canisters as opposed to being packed loosely in open cans, giving Rica a perfect opportunity to swipe fistfuls of quarters. And a villagewide audit of the collection and storage methods of all municipal monetary transactions is under way, local officials said.

But despite those reforms, the village’s method of collecting parking meter coins — in open containers that occasionally spill into the street — is still archaic. It’s a system that one resident warned village officials about in an email several years ago, before the discovery of Rica’s theft. And it’s a system that several nearby municipalities, including Westwood, Paterson and Passaic, abandoned years ago.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-seeks-new-way-to-collect-coins-from-parking-meters-after-massive-theft-1.1092781#sthash.bh0PHIBl.dpuf

Posted on September 20, 2014 June 27, 2021

Readers Continue to Push for More Answers on Meter Thief

Readers Continue to Push for More Answers on Meter Thief

If you have any information relating to the theft of money relating to the Village of Ridgewood meter revenues please contact John L. Molinelli, Bergen County Prosecutor at:

10 Main Street
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Mon-Fri (201) 646-2300
After Hours (201) 646-2700

All information received will be held in the strictest confidence.

Posted on September 19, 2014 June 27, 2021

Reader says Ridgewood meter money theft issue is a pandora’s box of speculation

Reader says Ridgewood meter money theft issue is a pandora’s box of speculation

I’m usually against conspiracy theorists, be it Kennedy, 9/11, Elvis, the Moon landing, bin Laden’s killing, etc., but I have to say that the Ridgewood meter money theft issue is a pandora’s box of speculation, and in a world where everyone has an online voice, it’s hardly surprising that speculation is rampant. Why? Here’s why:

1. Despite advances made in parking meters in just about most of the world, including other towns and even NYC, Ridgewood, considered to be a highly sophisticated town, decided to keep it’s museum-pieces as a way of collecting parking fees.

2. The man who was caught was able to negotiate an absurd guilty-plea deal whereby he avoided jail time and agreed to pay just some of it back. One has to wonder why the prosecutor agreed to such a sweet deal on a charge of what is effectively massive theft by a public official in a position of trust. The perception is that the deal was made as a way of avoiding a trial, a trial which would have given the defense attorney room to ask a lot of embarrassing questions.

3. There have been unconfirmed accounts that meter money has always been used as a petty-cash box for the Village, a way of paying for incidentals, like lunches, entertainment, etc. There’s no electronic methodology of recording what gets taken in by the meters, and therefore, it’s easy to record this number at whatever you want it to be.

4. This is local government in the state of New Jersey. If you need me to expand on this, then you must be new here.

If we had a truly democratic and open local Government, the meter theft matter would have been publicly addressed, instead of being allowed to fester.

Posted on September 18, 2014 June 27, 2021

Parking Meter Scandal : he could not have acted alone

quarters_collection-process4_theridgewoodblog.net_

file photo by Boyd Loving

Parking Meter Scandal : he could not have acted alone

Readers continue to speculate on parking meter security issues and continue to come up with one resounding conclusion ,he could not have acted alone .

Even a $41 million renovation of the Ridgewood Train station did not change the out dated parking meter system .

While ,Village officials said a forensic accounting firm has been retained to examine how a former employee managed to steal $460,000 in quarters from parking meters.

See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-hires-auditor-in-460-000-meter-thefts-1.1050247#sthash.Ut7rRzDP.dpuf

Although I’m not convinced that all meters would need to be replaced in order to implement a closed container/collection system, I’ll give the Village Manager the benefit of the doubt.

But, at a minimum, they should deep six those open white paint buckets/pickle containers and have all collectors use the carts depicted here:

https://www.pom.com/collectionsystems.htm

Continuing to use those buckets is a huge security risk, for the individual collecting monies (holdup/robbery) and for taxpayers (shrinkage).

It is actually very funny that we can’t afford to secure the Villages’s cash. I’m sure there is a solution out there that costs less than $460,000.

They made a deal and I’m hoping the whole story will come out eventually. Who in the police dept. is/are being protected?

Yet again, taxpayers getting screwed to protect some mob/union crony(ies) in Village Hall and/or the PD. Put in smart meters like NYC and let people use credit cards… how are we doing on Tommy Boy’s restitution ? Is he paying us back every week? The guy is obviously a wise guy, and refused to rat out his minders in Village Hall.

Posted on September 15, 2014 January 20, 2019

Technology solutions to parking problems in Fort Lee

Fort Lee overhauling parking permits

Technology solutions to parking problems in Fort Lee

September 15, 2014 Last updated: Monday, September 15, 2014, 7:23 AM
By SVETLANA SHKOLNIKOVA
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Print

FORT LEE — To prepare for increased traffic in the downtown area, the Fort Lee Parking Authority will roll out a license plate recognition system this fall that will revamp the process for parking meter collection and parking permit registration.

The system uses technology to read license plate numbers with cameras mounted atop borough vehicles, eliminating the need for physical permits and significantly cutting down on time spent on enforcement.

Fort Lee will start with one camera-equipped vehicle and probably add a second next spring, when the program expands from parking lots to residential parking areas, said Gloria Gallo, the authority administrator.

“Because of the new development, this district is going to become very busy,” she said, referring to Redevelopment Area 5 and downtown. “We want to stay up-to-date with the latest technology, and this will just be more efficient.”

Gallo hopes to open parking permit registration on Nov. 1, though delays are possible.

The technology will move the entire registration process online, allowing drivers to pay for their permits and register their license plate numbers all at once. They will no longer need to print out permits.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/fort-lee-overhauling-parking-permits-1.1088106#sthash.5xLquS23.dpuf

Posted on August 26, 2014 June 27, 2021

Over $400k in missing quarters, but collection process still the same

Photo credit:Boyd A. Loving
Over $400k in missing quarters, but collection process still the same
August 25,2014
Boyd A. Loving
12:32 PM

Ridgewood NJ, Despite having lost over $400k in quarters to “shrinkage,” the Village continues to collect quarters from parking meters by emptying open meter containers into empty pickle buckets. These photos were taken on Monday, 08/25/2014 in the Central Business District.

And the band played on . . .

Photo credit:Boyd A. Lovin

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