Conshohocken Considers Switch to Parking Kiosks, Raising Rates

Conshohocken Borough might be making the switch from parking meter to kiosk, according to discussions at Tuesday's Public Safety and Parking Committee meeting.

Borough manager Fran Marabella told Patch that the idea has come up during recent conversations, and that officials are still very much in the research and discussion phase.

"A lot of communities are going to the kiosk," said Marabella. "Kiosks make sense, because we currently have to [physically] pull out all the meters and calibrate them. We'd rather go with this, since it's one location for a larger number of spots."

Conshohocken Police Chief Michael Orler presented preliminary research at the meeting, which showed that each kiosk carried a hefty $13,500 price tag, plus roughly $100 a month for data, paper and maintenance costs. However, each kiosk could cover one full block, and greatly reduce the number of parking meters from the current 200, Orler said.

In addition, meters are often in need of repair, driving up maintenance costs. The kiosks would be more cost efficient for a number of reasons, and could even increase revenue, officials said.

"We'll be able to push the data to our systems, thus eliminating hand written tickets," said Orler. "And when someone leaves [a space], it will start over again. Right now if you feed the meter and leave before it expires, someone else can jump in."

However, the kiosks do not go without their own maintenance issues. In the event of rain, the solar-powered unit's backup battery would kick in, with replacements running between $50-$70.

Committee members also floated the idea of increasing prices with the switch, with a suggestion being to the double the current rates of 50 cents an hour to one dollar an hour.

"Those who use the meters are mostly out of town people," one member said.

If the borough chooses to pursue the switch, it would likely phase the kiosks in little by little, officials said. The first installation could take place on the municipal parking deck, or the 100 block of Fayette Street, Conshohocken's most profitable parking block.

"The parking deck might be the first one we do, one kiosk can handle all those spots," said Marabella.

With no resolutions currently presented, borough committees will likely continue to discuss and research the idea before bringing it up for official consideration. Check back with Patch for future updates.