PARKING UPDATE

Dear Dobbs Ferry Residents,
Yesterday, we sent out a notice about changes to how parking will work in the Downtown. We were under a deadline and so did not fully explain the change. We understand it sounds sudden. It was.
We’d like to provide more context.
 
The parking meters installed several years ago have been problematic from the start, with significant service issues and confusing instructions. A little over a month ago, we were informed that they would stop working altogether as the United States is phasing out the 3G cellular technology those meters use to communicate with our Parking Enforcement personnel and to take credit card payments.
 
As soon as we discovered this, we began looking at alternate solutions, from replacing the meters to spacing nearly 20 kiosks along Cedar and Main Streets to using ParkMobile exclusively.
 
At Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, we were informed that the 3G technology would terminate as soon as today, July 1. We evaluated the feasible options, which were installing kiosks or moving exclusively to ParkMobile. The cost of kiosks was astonishing, yet they were still a better option than replacing the large number of individual meters.
 
The Board of Trustees had a vigorous discussion of pros and cons from the perspectives of all our residents, and came to the following conclusions:

• Neither replacing the meters nor installing kiosks made economic sense. By choosing ParkMobile, we are saving taxpayers close to $200,000 in upfront costs for new kiosks and up to $50,000 in annual fees and maintenance costs.
• Other municipalities, including ones similar in makeup to Dobbs Ferry, are already making the same shift as meters are too expensive to replace and maintain, especially those taking credit cards.
• Existing kiosks will remain at the parking lots on Oak Street, Village Hall, and 99 Cedar Street.
• There are already Downtown Business District permits available at the Village Administrative Offices that allow permit-holders to park in the areas currently served by meters and all parking lots without additional payment. (Other parking rules, like time limits, still apply.)
• The Police Chief and Village Administrator were instructed to explore possible waivers of fees for short term parking at intervals of 15 minutes or less using the ParkMobile app.  (You will still need to start a ParkMobile session.) This will enable people to do a quick errand without cost, an improvement over the current meters, which were unable to account for this grace period.
• Instructional materials on how to download and use ParkMobile will be distributed widely, with supplies of pamphlets offered to Downtown merchants and restaurants and frequent Village-wide communication until things seem to be running smoothly.
• The Village will make every effort to work with the telecom companies to improve cellular service in the Downtown. We do not have control over where they put towers, but we will encourage better coverage by any means at our disposal.

 
The Mayor and Board of Trustees understands that change can feel disruptive. In this case, the need for some large change was out of our control. The Mayor and Board openly discussed pros and cons at two recent regular meetings, April 26, 2022 and June 28, 2022, which can be viewed on YouTube.  The public can attend all Board of Trustees meetings in person or by Zoom.  The Village government makes no decisions in secret.
 
As with most changes, we expect that we will all quickly adapt. We remain open to constructive feedback for improving this and other parts of the Dobbs Ferry experience.
 
The Village of Dobbs Ferry