It was originally planned that the kiosks for onstreet parking along Warren Street would be installed in two phases. In the first phase, the remaining ten kiosks would be installed on the blocks where there are currently no meters--below Third Street and above Eighth Street. In a second phase, kiosks would be installed on the blocks where there are currently parking meters. The original plan was to install two kiosks, one on each side of the street, on the "short blocks," and four kiosks, two on each side of the street, on the "long blocks." Carrying out the original plan would require the purchase of additional kiosks.
At the meeting of the Common Council ad hoc Parking Study Committee on Tuesday, Jennifer Belton, who chairs the committee, recommended a different plan--one that would involve purchasing only one additional kiosk and installing them on the entire length of Warren Street at the same time. In the new plan, only half the number of kiosks would be installed--one on each of the "short blocks," two on each of the "long blocks."
Imagine, if you will, finding a parking space right in front of your destination and then having to walk 500 feet or so to the kiosk to make your payment and then walking the same distance back to where you wanted to be. Spots near the kiosks are going to become the coveted parking spaces.
This is Belton's recommendation. Apparently, the ad hoc committee has done its work, and they are handing things off to law and parking enforcement. At the end of the meeting, Belton said, "It's in the hands of Doreen and Chief Franklin. They are going to take it from here." She was referring to Doreen Danforth, who runs the Parking Bureau, and Mishanda Franklin, chief of the Hudson Police Department. One hopes they realize that spreading just eleven kiosks over the distance of a mile is a bad idea.
The Parking Plan that Belton and the ad hoc committee is handing over can be found here.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CAROLE OSTERINK
One bad idea after another from the committee, right up to the end.
ReplyDeleteWhich are the "long" blocks" and the "short blocks" ?
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to say. If you look at the map showing the placement of the kiosks (as originally planned) on page 7 of the Parking Plan, you see that two kiosks are proposed, on opposite sides of the street, in the middle of the block, for the first three blocks of Warren Street--from Front to Third. Looking at the Google map, the block from Second to Third appears to be almost twice as long as the blocks from Front to First and from First to Second. I would have designated Front to First and First to Second "short blocks" and Second to Third a "long block," but apparently that's not what the committee did.
DeleteNot good for the handicap people. Walking to find one. Crazy!
ReplyDeleteThere is provision for people with disabilities. They are can free if they fill out an application online and pay an annual fee of $50.
DeleteOf course, if you are disabled and just visiting Hudson for the day, you're out of luck.
DeleteI believe you can use an app to also pay from your phone, so you don’t have to use a kiosk. But that will require signage, maybe placed on the old meter poles, like some cities do. Nevertheless, the amount of kiosk coverage still seems sparse.
ReplyDeleteApparently, the plan doesn't take people into consideration at all. Besides the handicapped, there are elderly, families with children and any number of circumstances where folks may have physical difficulties. Oh, well, right? And if the pat response is there's an app for that, it's just another hurdle for those who aren't tech savvy or have the latest high end phone at their disposal. There are towns nearby like Red Hook and Rhinebeck where parking can be challenging but not metered. I'll be traveling there more often. Not great for business either.
ReplyDelete