New parking meters and app causing confusion in Cedarhurst

CEDARHURST, Long Island (WABC) -- Hundreds of new parking meters are now in place across the Village of Cedarhurst in Nassau County.

"I'm a therapist. I'm trained to figure out problems. I can't even figure out if I did it right!" one driver said.

Complex and confusing, that's the way many people in Cedarhurst feel about the new, hi-tech parking meters scattered throughout the village.

"I don't like them because it has absolutely hindered me and most of my friends from parking here and shopping here," said Joanna Klein, a Cedarhurst resident.

Not everyone feels that way. Some drivers say the new meters are wonderfully convenient. You can pay with quarters. You can pay with a credit card. You can use the new app to help you find an open space and then you can pay with your cellphone.

"I can sit in my car, I see the meter number 322, I could add money from my app. I could be shopping. I could be in a store and I could just keep adding money. And it gives me an alert," said Suzi Pere-Goldberg, a driver.

"These things max out after four hours. You have to physically leave the spot and have to find either another spot or pull back into the spot to reactivate the meter so you can put more money in," said Benjamin Weinstock, Mayor of Cedarhurst.

Cameras monitor the parking spots and reset the meter each time a driver pulls away, so the days of finding unexpired "time" are over.

However, there is a 10-minute grace period for anyone who wants to quickly zip in and out of a store.

As for the village inspector, he gets an alert when there's an expired meter, meaning he's suddenly become more efficient.

"There's no way you can make a transcription error in that you write the license plate incorrectly or the make and model year of the car because everything is scanned via the registration barcode," said Patrick Feehan, the village inspector.

Village leaders expect an extra $500,000 in annual ticket revenue and fines thanks to the new meters.