Huntington looks to license plates as way to pay to park downtown
Joe Cirgiliano, director of public safety for the Town of Huntington, stands near a new parking meter the town plans to roll out later this month. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Motorists using metered parking in downtown Huntington and at the Huntington Station Long Island Rail Road station can soon secure a parking space using their license plate number.
The pay-by-license-plate system, which the Town of Huntington will start rolling out Nov. 20, will replace the pay-by-space system, offering convenience and safety to both motorists and town employees, said Joe Cirigliano, the town’s director of public safety.
Motorists will need to input their license plate number into a pay station instead of a parking space number. They will pay for the space using a credit or debit card or tap to pay, he said.
Downtown metered parking will remain $1 per hour with a three-hour maximum, Cirigliano said. Metered parking for the LIRR station will be a flat fee of $12 for 24 hours of daily parking, he said.
"The current parking meters are at the end of their life cycle and we get a lot of complaints about them not working and they are difficult to use," he said. "This system offers more convenience."
The change affects all metered street parking in downtown Huntington. The parking spaces at the train station include Lot 15 in front of the ticket office and street parking on Broadway and Railroad Street. There are 519 metered parking spaces in downtown Huntington and 100 spots at the train station, Cirigliano said.
The seven municipal lots in downtown Huntington will remain free. The new system does not affect commuter parking garages at the train station, Cirigliano said.
Motorists will still be able to use the Passport Parking app for street parking in downtown and at the LIRR station, but will input their license plate number instead of a space number, he said.
The new system will also help with enforcement, Cirigliano added. Parking enforcement officers will use vehicle-mounted and portable license plate readers to enforce unpaid parking violations.
Motorists will also be able to move to another parking space within the downtown area if they still have time on the meter.
The cashless system also addresses a safety concern for some public safety officers who collect proceeds from the current meters.
"This eliminates that concern," Cirigliano said.
The town entered into a five-year contract with Pennsylvania-based T2 UPsafety for the system. The town paid a one-time $199,999 fee for 25 parking meters and will pay a monthly service charge of $2,375.
Dominick Catoggio, president of the Huntington Village Business Improvement District, which covers the downtown, said any improvements that offer increased convenience and safety are a benefit.
"It all comes down to the new service being intuitive and user-friendly," he said.
On a recent afternoon on New Street in the downtown area, Lara Kuby, of Lloyd Harbor, said she was skeptical of the new system.
It will take more time to input information into the meter, Kuby said, especially to ensure the information is correct.
"I miss the days of putting a quarter in an old-school machine," she said. "As the technology seems to be progressing, I find it less convenient and annoying."
Motorists using metered parking in downtown Huntington and at the Huntington Station Long Island Rail Road station can soon secure a parking space using their license plate number.
The pay-by-license-plate system, which the Town of Huntington will start rolling out Nov. 20, will replace the pay-by-space system, offering convenience and safety to both motorists and town employees, said Joe Cirigliano, the town’s director of public safety.
Motorists will need to input their license plate number into a pay station instead of a parking space number. They will pay for the space using a credit or debit card or tap to pay, he said.
Downtown metered parking will remain $1 per hour with a three-hour maximum, Cirigliano said. Metered parking for the LIRR station will be a flat fee of $12 for 24 hours of daily parking, he said.
"The current parking meters are at the end of their life cycle and we get a lot of complaints about them not working and they are difficult to use," he said. "This system offers more convenience."
The change affects all metered street parking in downtown Huntington. The parking spaces at the train station include Lot 15 in front of the ticket office and street parking on Broadway and Railroad Street. There are 519 metered parking spaces in downtown Huntington and 100 spots at the train station, Cirigliano said.
The seven municipal lots in downtown Huntington will remain free. The new system does not affect commuter parking garages at the train station, Cirigliano said.
Motorists will still be able to use the Passport Parking app for street parking in downtown and at the LIRR station, but will input their license plate number instead of a space number, he said.
The new system will also help with enforcement, Cirigliano added. Parking enforcement officers will use vehicle-mounted and portable license plate readers to enforce unpaid parking violations.
Motorists will also be able to move to another parking space within the downtown area if they still have time on the meter.
The cashless system also addresses a safety concern for some public safety officers who collect proceeds from the current meters.
"This eliminates that concern," Cirigliano said.
The town entered into a five-year contract with Pennsylvania-based T2 UPsafety for the system. The town paid a one-time $199,999 fee for 25 parking meters and will pay a monthly service charge of $2,375.
Dominick Catoggio, president of the Huntington Village Business Improvement District, which covers the downtown, said any improvements that offer increased convenience and safety are a benefit.
"It all comes down to the new service being intuitive and user-friendly," he said.
On a recent afternoon on New Street in the downtown area, Lara Kuby, of Lloyd Harbor, said she was skeptical of the new system.
It will take more time to input information into the meter, Kuby said, especially to ensure the information is correct.
"I miss the days of putting a quarter in an old-school machine," she said. "As the technology seems to be progressing, I find it less convenient and annoying."
License plate system
- A cashless pay-by-license-plate system for metered street parking in downtown Huntington and at the Huntington Station Long Island Rail Road stop will be rolled out later this month.
- Metered parking in the downtown area will remain $1 per hour with a three-hour maximum.
- At the LIRR station, daily metered parking will cost $12 for 24 hours, replacing the system that uses the amount of time needed to determine how much is paid.
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