Town Launches New Parking App For Downtown Bay Shore

BAY SHORE, NY - Town of Islip officials recently announced the launch of a new parking app in Bay Shore.

Supervisor Angie Carpenter was joined by Town Board members John C. Cochrane, Jr., and James P. O’Connor, along with representatives from the local restaurant Napper Tandy, at a press conference held at the business to discuss the new ParkMobile app.

Recently, the parking situation in downtown Bay Shore has caused a lot of controversy in the area.

Last summer, the town announced a parking meter plan for downtown, but have had to change it after local residents and business owners have expressed their opposition to the project.

The plan included:

• Installing parking meters in lots behind Main Street which would be become active after 6 p.m. on weekdays rather than at 9 a.m.
• Running meters on weekends from 9 a.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. on Sundays.
• Creating more weekday parking spaces in Lot B behind Main Street at Mechanicsville Road
• Adding additional employee spaces behind the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts on Main Street.

Despite the changes made to the original program, some residents and business owners continue to oppose the parking meter system.

"I think that's what's important for people to understand, parking management program is fluid and as issues come up, if they need to be changed or modified we can do that and we've done a lot of that over the past few months," Carpenter said during the press conference.

With the new app, patrons can now pay for parking straight from their smartphone.

ParkMobile will eliminate the need to carry coins, and provides users with options to view, locate and reserve parking spots prior to their arrival.

The app will also issue notifications before time on parking expires, and allows additional time to be added.

"Bay Shore is a thriving downtown and you need to have that parking management program," Carpenter said.

The app is used in other downtown areas in Long Island including Patchogue, Freeport, Great Neck, and Huntington.

Watch the full press conference below:

What do you think? Do you think the parking app is a good idea? Let us know in the comments below.