Do Muni Meters Mean Fewer Parking Tickets?

The short answer: no.

Nyack's electronic parking meters dish out just as many tickets—and irk just as many tardy motorists—as old-fashioned meters.

"So far we've installed the muni meters downtown, on Main Street and Broadway," said John Lavelle, the village's parking enforcement manager. "But the number of tickets issued is the same."

Rates and revenue have remained constant, too, but motorists can now pay with bills and credit to avoid fishing around for change.

Nyack was the first municipality in Rockland to adopt the meters, Lavelle said.

"White Plains had them before us," he added. "[Muni meters] require less maintenance."

The change-over came on the heels of Nyack's most recent parking study, completed in 2007 with the help of census data. According to the study, about 60 percent of residents and business owners rated downtown parking unsatisfactory.

But residents have found the new technology a positive upgrade.

"I like the electronic meters more than the old ones," said Charlie LoPresti, a life-long Nyack resident. "They'll tell you when parking is free because of a certain occassion—if it weren't for the message, I'd end up paying."

Another dilemma the muni meters ameliorate (to the chagrin of most drivers)? Capitalizing on another drivers' time. Gone are the days when a lucky motorist could pull into a space with 15 minutes remaining on the meter.

(Unless a benevolent litterbug begins tossing still-valid parking receipts out the window).