Automated System for Train Station Parking

Parking at the can be difficult - negotiating the traffic exiting Chauncy Street, finding a space in all kinds of weather, squeezing folded bills into tiny slots with frozen hands or in the pouring rain, - but commuters may soon get a break as selectmen and finally begin to update the archaic pay-as-you-go system that has existed for generations of travelers. 

Calling the current process a "first generation system", Ross told at their Wednesday, Dec. 8 meeting, that technology has come a long way since the slot boxes were installed. Ross noted that in his discussions with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) much of the state is now on a "seventh generation" payment option. Mansfield, he said, should be taking advantage of the new technologies available. 

Beginning this winter, commuters will be able to call on the phone, log onto their computers, or even upload an "app" for their smart phones that will allow them to reserve a parking spot and pay with a credit card. 

The first stage will be a pilot program, Ross said, designed to see how many of the thousands of drivers want to use the new system. Only after several months will Ross and parking officials be able to decide how many slot boxes to leave in the municipal and MBTA owned lots, but even those will be upgraded to accept credit cards.  Ross said some boxes would be needed for train customers who use the service infrequently. Under the new system, daily riders would be able to reserve their parking spot by the week, month, or longer.

"We will give the system four to five months to mature," Ross said. "Then we will replace the money receipt boxes with new ones." 

Ross noted the upgraded system should be much easier for the parking officer to monitor.

"The parking enforcement person will receive a printout of everyone who has registered," Ross said. "This will eliminate a great deal of cash - the less being counted, the better off you are."

He noted the parking enforcement officer has stepped up his scrutiny of the downtown streets, looking for parking scofflaws, and recently tagged about a dozen cars in the Mansfield Bank parking lot with warnings. Selectmen said that of late, they received several complaints about illegally parked commuter cars in various areas downtown. 

Ross said he also intends to improve lighting in certain parts of the commuter lots, because there are pockets where dim lighting can present a safety hazard.