On the 2015 campaign trail Joe Ganim lamented the city’s prehistoric parking meter system that fleeced visitors after dropping a few quarters into a Downtown slot. (Borrowing money from the mob was cheaper.) Infrastructure work is progressing on several Downtown blocks to install more than 100 modern parking meters that will accommodate cash, credit card or a mobile app.
“This long-overdue change to make downtown Bridgeport more convenient for residents, consumers and businesses is happening just in time for the holiday season,” said Ganim in a statement. “After months of work, we are seeing these new parking meters become operational and consumers and businesses will see the benefit. Consumers will be able to pay for parking with coins or a credit card. There is also a mobile app you can download that allows you to pay using your phone and that even shows where there are parking spaces available in downtown Bridgeport, saving valuable time. I really look forward to our downtown business and residential customers having a better parking experience due to this new technology.”
City Communications Director Av Harris says the new parking meters include:
1. Wayfinding that includes the ability to find open Smart parking spaces with the mobile app, eliminating the need to wait for spots to open up or driving around searching for a spot, and reducing congestion and greenhouse gases.
2. Flexible payment options including coin, credit and debit cards, and mobile payment using the “MobileNow®” application available on IOS and Android phones.
3. Public safety features including 911 call button, community service messaging, including weather alerts, local news and merchant promotions.
4. The meters have large, high-definition touch screens.
The City of Bridgeport has chosen Connecticut-based LAZ Parking as the vendor to manage its new parking system. The technology was developed by the firm Municipal Parking Solutions (MPS), who will provide the new meters technical support for them. Complus Data Innovations, Inc. will oversee violation management and collections. LAZ, MPS and Complus will work jointly to provide a managed parking solution for all city parking meters.
Joe Caldwell, Chief Executive Officer of MPS, said, “Bridgeport is on the leading edge of cities that understand the value of advanced parking technology that’s simple to use and convenient, and can provide ease of use to their citizens and local businesses. Everywhere around us technology is enhancing our lives–parking should be no different.”
The convenience of multiple payment methods requires that smart meter violations be mailed. Before mailing, LAZ personnel will review the captured meter violations to ensure that they are validly issued (e.g., at a broken meter, at an inaccessible meter, where the coin box is full, etc.) Violations will be mailed a few days after the meter captures them. The new parking meters have a grace period of five minutes before a violation is recorded. Parking Enforcement Officers will continue to issue paper tickets on the City’s older meters.
LAZ and the Downtown Special Services District will use mobile “ambassadors” in the area of the new smart meters to explain how the meters work and to answer other questions from the public for a preliminary period. LAZ will also have a downtown office at 333 State Street where tickets can be paid and other parking information obtained. Local parking ordinances remain the same. The hours of enforcement are Monday through Saturday 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Parking is free of charge on Sundays and Holidays. The City decided to move forward with the smart meters after it completed successful trials of the technology on Broad Street during the past few months. Mayor Ganim stressed that the City is taking precautions to minimize parking disruptions and congestion, and optimize traffic flow, during the installation process. LAZ and Complus are experienced in municipal parking management and enforcement. MPS has successfully implemented its Smart Parking System in a number of cities throughout Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. The company is based in Minnesota.
Excellent!
There are huge amounts of free parking outside of Downtown Bridgeport.
Fun Facts re: new City parking meters per Diana at the Police Parking/Traffic office, the new meters will:
1) run on Saturday and later into the evening (this is new)
2) have the capacity to take pictures and send out tickets in the mail
3) allow 5 minutes to feed the meter before you automatically get a ticket
4) not allow you to refill the meter after the two-hour time period, you will have to MOVE YOUR CAR to a new spot
If you have any more questions please call the Police Parking/Traffic Dept at 203-581-5287 or 581-5288
Thank you, Jennifer. MORE reasons to NOT go downtown.
Reasons to go Downtown:
infobridgeport.com/eats/
Okay, the city has SOME new parking meters now.
Now if it can get something there to get the new meters to pay for themselves. As most of us know currently there isn’t much down there. You wonder if a study was done to see how long it will take to pay off the meters based on the use of the old meters. Was there a way to check to see if there was any internal theft by the people who emptied the quarters? Is there a way to see if there is any money missing?
So the newest news is new parking meters in the same old downtown. Now if there were a reason to patronize that area.
“This long-overdue change to make downtown Bridgeport more convenient for residents, consumers and businesses is happening just in time for the holiday season,” said Ganim.
What holiday season? You need retailers for that, Joe.
Too bad Downtown North wasn’t completed in time for the holiday season. Now that would be news.
Downtown North? What is the plan to attract people to Downtown South let alone Downtown North???!!!
The writing was on the wall when McDonalds left downtown. A McDonalds could survive on the moon. So anyone out there know what is going to happen with the former McDonalds? Is it going to sit empty for decades like some of the other buildings down there?
The sad truth is there isn’t much to attract people to the downtown area short of a big attraction at the arena. After the event is over the patrons are back on the highway headed home as fast as they can.
There isn’t a place to bring a family to grab a bite before or after an event or to patronize when there isn’t an event at the arena. There is very little if any steady police presence downtown to make people feel safe enough to go there.
The old Rite Aid building is still empty, you wonder if the owner got too greedy and raised the rent so high Rite Aid could no longer stay. Because of that if that was the case, there is an empty building now.
I see some buffet is coming to the old stereo store. If the Polka Dot could be reopened and perhaps a family-style restaurant could go back to the Mechanics and Farmers building, this could be a start to jumpstart the heart for downtown. With the right management and attractions the Polka Dot could be the new, new again.
This is just an idea and my two cents.