Hours after Village Green posted a sponsored announcement from the Maplewood Village Alliance on August 5, promoting a parking survey and touting the benefits of paid parking, readers reacted.
Through emails, in-person conversations, messages, and comments on the Village Green News & Views Facebook group, many local residents reported a negative response to the prospect of paid parking in the Township’s premiere commercial district — with a minority voicing support.
“I vote a big fat no,” wrote one commenter.
“Aren’t we already taxed enough?” asked another.
“I will just go somewhere else — not worth it to pay to run in a store,” wrote yet another.
“The entire article reads like a well polished pitch for paid parking. Which, regardless of the income or turnover results, will have a negative effect on day to day businesses,” wrote Jeff Conway.
The MVA announcement of the survey read in part:
Other commenters suggested that the township incentivize more pedestrian traffic or perhaps utilize transit (Julie Flath invited people to join the SOMA Shuttle Working Group).
Some readers and commenters took issue with the survey itself, saying it was biased.
“I don’t think you should push that parking survey you just circulated,” wrote one reader to Village Green in an email. “It is biased. It does not ask if paid parking should be implemented or put any limits on that. It is clearly circulated by proponents of paid parking so I don’t think it should be promoted without clarity around that. I’d also like to know what the money will go to. Does any of it (from paid parking) go to the Village Alliance or anyone working for them? Why are they pushing for this so hard?”
One Facebook commenter wrote, “The survey is worded in a way that it traps people into agreeing with paid parking, which will make the results of the survey biased.”
In another Facebook group, a commenter wrote, “It’s an incredibly biased survey that doesn’t really ask the right questions. I am hoping they’re taking feedback to heart … and will pull this survey, and issue a new one that doesn’t contain this bias.”
Maplewood Township Committeeman Dean Dafis defended the survey and the announcement.
“I think the survey is open and fair. It is sincerely soliciting community feedback about parking experience in Maplewood Village. The results of the survey will inform any policy or operational changes to parking management there including expanded enforcement of existing time restrictions via new technologies, improved wayfinding, adjustments to time restrictions, and or expansion of paid parking beyond existing paid commuter parking. There is no plan to pull the survey.”
Dafis added, “If folks are against paid parking, use the survey to say that. We expect significant community engagement in this, for and against any changes to parking in the Village.”
Additionally, Dafis wrote that “all of the professional advice that we have received through the years from planners and consultants alike, including our most recent master plan for the whole town recommend improvements to parking management, access, and efficiency in Maplewood Village. This survey is about engaging with the community about such parking optimization in Maplewood Village.”
In a followup, Dafis added that “the MVA represents the merchants and property owners in Maplewood Village and their interests in maintaining their strength and sustainability. Merchants and property owners alike want to see improvements to parking in Maplewood Village in order to drive more foot traffic to our retail and restaurants.”
One such merchant is Julie Pauly of the Able Baker. Pauly is quoted in the sponsored announcement, saying, “We all want the same thing – to find a parking spot without circling the block three times. Today’s technology and nominal parking fees make it more likely to get that spot the first time around.”
The idea of paid parking elicited a positive post from popular local Instagram influencer @olliemcateer who shared a video saying he was in favor of paid parking. “I am actually all for this personally. I’d rather pay for the privilege of knowing I can actually park than take my chances and keep driving around.”
The Instagram post also prompted a slew of replies.
“It’s a huge mistake. One of the reasons I barely go to downtown South Orange is because they charge for parking. Parking is rarely an issue in Maplewood if you willing to walk a block or two,” wrote @hh_chuck. “What’s needed is more enforcement to deal with illegal parking.”
Tim Fryatt who serves on the Maplewood Planning Board supported the idea in a comment to @olliemcateer: “Thanks for covering this so clearly. It’s understandable many don’t want to be charged for something currently free. But as Donald Shoup taught us in ‘The High Cost of Free Parking’; free parking promotes car dependency, wastes land, worsens traffic, and drives up public and private costs.”
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See the survey here:
