Fair Lawn Budgets for Commuter Lot Shakeup

Fair Lawn looks primed to move to a self-service commuter parking system in 2014 that will mirror the one used in Glen Rock.

The preliminary budget, set for introduction Tuesday, allocates $60,000 to stripe parking spots and install two self-service kiosks at the Radburn Train Station lot and one kiosk at the dirt parking lot on Fair Lawn Avenue, adjacent to the Route 208 on-ramp. The dirt lot will be milled, but not paved as part of the plan.

If approved, the lot makeover should afford casual commuters a better chance to find parking, but also result in higher daily parking rates, borough manager Tom Metzler said. 

As the lot currently operates, resident commuters purchase an annual parking permit sticker that provides them daily entree to the unmarked lot. Residents are charged $54 -- 21 cents per week day -- for the annual permit, and non-residents pay $188 -- 72 cents per week day -- for the same parking privilege. 

"It’s kind of an irony that you can drive to New York and pay $25 to park your car for two hours, or you can park in Fair Lawn for 21 cents," Metzler .

The self-service kiosk plan, which would increase the ease of ticketing parking violators and raise additional revenue for the borough, calls for striping each lot with numbered spots reserved for both residents and non-residents.

A commuter would enter his parking space number at the interactive kiosk and pay at the time of parking. Upon payment, he would either receive a receipt to place on his car's dashboard, or alternatively, the payment would be processed paperlessly by the machine, which would generate a list of paid for spots accessible to ticketing police officers.

Residents who commute regularly will still be able to purchase an annual permit at a yet-to-be-determined price.

While council has yet to set the new parking rates for the lots, Metzler said the costs are sure to align more closely with the higher rates charged by neighboring towns.

"We wonder why we sell out our permits in three days," he said. "Why shouldn’t commuters from other towns pay to utilize our resources?"

Metzler said police will enforce parking in both lots 24 hours a day, although the cost to park overnight or at off-peak hours will come at a reduced price. 

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