Newtown Residents Launch Petition Against Paid Parking Proposal

Newtown residents and people who work in town are not happy about a proposal to charge for parking at the Borough municipal lot — and they're speaking out.

A new petition has been launched on Change.org against Newtown Borough's proposal to turn the municipal lot on Washington and Centre avenues into a paid parking facility.

"Paid parking will have a negative affect on the local businesses, residents, and anyone who wants to visit Newtown Borough," according to the petition, which was launched Tuesday by Rich Schoen. As of Wednesday evening, it had 265 supporters.

Supporters of the petition say paid parking will hurt local businesses and financially burden the employees who work there.

"As an employee in Newtown borough, I have already had to pay numerous parking tickets when business is steady and I don't have time to move my car. To have to now pay to come to work is ridiculous and unfair," said Jessica Boone, who estimates that if the lot becomes a paid facility, she'll pay $20 a week or $500 every six months to simply go to work.

Others say it will simply drive shoppers away from Newtown and towards shopping malls and box stores, where there is free parking.

"We can not afford to turn potential shoppers, diners, visitors away from our community! Taxing those who entering the Borough intent of spending money makes no sense at all. These visitors could easily forgo paying for parking/ feeding meters, for larger shopping/ dining destinations with plenty of free lots. We should be trying to find a ways encourage visitors, develop more parking so every can enjoy all that Newtown Borough has to offer," said petition supporter George McCafferty.

The Newtown Advance reports Newtown Borough Council last week tabled action on a motion to purchase kiosks for the parking lot so that residents and business owners could have a chance to provide input at a public meeting.

A special meeting on the paid parking proposal has been scheduled for Oct. 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Chancellor Center, 30 N. Chancellor Street.

During that public meeting, council is expected to discuss the potential purchase of three self-service kiosks that will accept debit and credit only as a way to make up the cost of repaving the lot as well as funding various street repairs.

Proposed fees are currently suggested to be $1 an hour on Monday to Saturday between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A maximum of three hours would be permitted.

Click here to view the Change.org petition.