Under the new system, ticketing agents and police know via tablets whether parking has been paid for, meaning motorists don't have to go back to leave a receipt visible through the windshield
HOBOKEN -- Mile-Square motorists who often have to circle the block time after time to find a parking space won't have to waste even more time going back to their car to leave behind a receipt after paying for parking, now that the city is phasing in a new "pay-by-plate" system.
In the coming months, drivers exasperated by Hoboken's notoriously scarce parking won't even have to walk up or down the block to a pay station, but instead will be able to use a mobile app to pay for their space using credit or debit account.
The new system is being phased in starting Monday with pay stations on Hudson Place, spreading to additional metered parking areas after that, according to an announcement Thursday afternoon from Mayor Dawn Zimmers' office. The mobile app will be available sometime soon, Zimmer's office said.
Under the new system, whether parking is paid for at a station or by app, the license place number and location of a parked vehicle is entered into a data base, along with the amount of paid parking time. The data will be available on computer tablets carried by ticketing agents from the Hoboken Parking Utility, who will then able to check whether is over the limit.
The system is the same as others already in place in a handful of New Jersey communities, including Collingswood, which also offers 'pay-by-plate.' There awer also variations, including a system in Asbury Park, where authorities keep track of who is over the limit using numbered parking spaces, rather than license plates.
"Parking Enforcement Officers will be stationed at the meters to educate drivers on the use of the meters," the announcement stated. "Additional blocks will transition to the new system in the following days and weeks."
Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.