Bay Street Station Parking Deck to See Significant Improvements

The switchover to Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS), will take place on Monday, December 1. Parking management will begin issuing new hang-tags for monthly customers, starting the third week of November.

Propark, a parking management company, has been hired to provide the new service at the Bay Street Station deck.

Bay Street Station Parking Deck customers will see the following changes on December 1:

• New entry/exit lane access equipment will be in place with a ticket dispenser, exit verifier and a long-range Automated Vehicle Identifier (AVI) reader. Monthly patrons will have the latest in AVI technology, which works like an E-ZPass transponder, to ensure the quickest possible entry/exit times and reduce queuing.
• Two Pay-on-Foot stations that accept credit cards will be installed, eliminating the need for exact change. One will be located in the Bay Street Station lobby and will take credit cards and cash. The second will be on the third floor at the crosswalk and will accept only credit cards.
• Transient customers will take a ticket on the way in and will pay at one of the Pay-on-Foot stations before they leave the parking deck.
• A parking attendant will be present at the entrance/exit during peak periods to provide customer service and monitor traffic flow.
• High visibility signs will be installed with instructions for patrons and 24/7 assistance will be available from the Crescent Deck parking team through intercoms.

The PARCS system will also benefit the Parking Utility on the management side, by enhancing the integrity of operations with proactive management oversight and greater revenue controls. There will also be increased emphasis on facility maintenance and cleanliness, with a large focus on the stairwells and elevators.

Below is what Bay Street Station Parking Deck patrons will see when the new PARCS system is put in place:

Monthly Patrons

• A monthly parker enters and exists the parking deck using an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) hangtag that works like an E-ZPass transponder. Not only will this help minimizes queuing, it will also monitor and control transient activity to ensure the appropriate number of monthly spaces is available.

Transient/Ticket In

• Transient customers will enter the parking deck by pressing a button located on the ticket dispenser. When the magnetic strip ticket is removed, the gate will open for the vehicle to proceed. The ticket will be encoded with the following information: ticket number, time and date of issue, status of the ticket and the fee number. Patrons will pay at one of the two pay stations before exiting the deck.

Transient/Pay-on-Foot Station Exit Operation

• When a patron prepares to leave, they proceed to the nearest Pay-on-Foot Station in the lobby or at the third Floor cross walk. The patron will insert their magnetic-stripe ticket into the Pay Station, which will then read the magnetic stripe ticket and calculate the amount due and display it on the Fee Display for the patron to view. After the patron inserts the proper amount due (credit card preferred) the Pay Station re-encodes the magnetic stripe ticket as paid and issues a 15 minute grace period to exit the facility.
• In the exit lane the patron inserts the re-encoded ticket into the Exit Verifier (EV); within seconds the ticket is encoded for exit the EV will send to vend signal to vend the gate allowing the patron to leave. If a vehicle pulls up to the EV and inserts their ticket before going to the Pay Station or after their 15 minute grace period has expired the EV will display the amount due allowing the patron to pay for their parking via credit card. If the patron has lost their ticket they can request help from the Parking Ambassador or call for assistance using the Pay-on-Foot Station intercom.

Information courtesy of Montclair Township, image via shutterstock