Salem Parking Lots Go App-Only Ahead Of Halloween Season

SALEM, MA — Some Witch City parking lots are going app-only ahead of the upcoming Halloween visiting crunch.

The city said the surface parking lots in the city will require visitors to pay via the Passport parking app as of Saturday. Officials cited the "rapid decline" and maintenance costs of the parking lot kiosks for the decision to discontinue their use.

"After examining the devices, it was determined that they were not operating properly due to the age of the software," the Mayor's Office said on Friday. "This step is being taken to avoid the steep cost of upgrading the kiosks, in addition to the ongoing costs associated with maintenance, related equipment upgrades, and transaction and communication fees."

Affected lots will include the Church Street East and West lots, the Crescent lot, Jerry's lot on Crombie Street, the Universal Steel lot, the Old Salem Jail lot and the Salem Green lot.

On-street parking spots will continue to accept coins and the parking garages will be remain unchanged.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)