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Town to switch downtown parking to pay-by-plate kiosks; forced rotation and education campaign to follow
Summary
Town officials detailed a Sept. 29–Oct. 1 rollout of new parking kiosks and a pay-by-plate system, forced rotation rules for maximums, a merchant education campaign and a downtown parking map distributed to businesses and the public.
Town officials outlined plans on Sept. 23 to convert downtown parking to a pay-by-plate system and to reprogram parking kiosks during the week of Sept. 29, with physical kiosk installation and signage changes scheduled through Oct. 1 and beyond.
The town will move from pay-by-space to pay-by-plate (vehicle license-plate-based transactions). Under pay-by-plate, drivers must enter their plate number when paying; the town will enforce time maximums with a forced-rotation policy that prevents immediate renewals by requiring vehicles to leave the lot or street for at least one hour before returning to a metered or capped space. Officials said the change is intended to increase circulation so that spaces turn over and remain available for shoppers and short-term visitors.
Town parking staff and the tourism and economic development office said they will begin merchant outreach this week and distribute a two-page “Parking at a Glance” brochure, including a map and QR code, to businesses, the library and public locations. Officials said they ordered 4,000 copies and will make the brochure available online; they plan a merchants meeting on Sept. 25 to explain the changes and share materials.
Officials also said the Park Street lot is already operating with the app and that parking-by-plate will be added across the system, with new signage, removal of space numbers and updated pavement markings scheduled during the conversion. The town said it will deploy an education campaign — including press releases and direct merchant outreach — ahead of the conversion and will place variable-message boards and signage to alert the public.
Staff emphasized that a maximum time at a location will be enforced: moving a car to a different space does not reset a capped-time limit. Town officials characterized the change as a forced-rotation strategy to keep spaces available for visitors and merchants.
Town parking staff also described an intended kiosk and signage schedule: reprogramming on Sept. 29, kiosk installation and app rollout through Oct. 1, and a broader public education and merchant outreach program to follow. Officials said the changes aim to improve circulation and clarify where paid and free parking are located in the downtown core.
