RVC Village Election Q & A

PARKING

Q: What would you do about the parking issues that vex so many Rockville Centre residents and business owners?

A: Real parking concerns can only be addressed by a new parking study.

The last expert study was done in 1999. Since then demographics in the village have changed, new businesses have come in and parking patterns have evolved.

A new study would assist the police commissioner and the board in determining the changes that should be made.

The board has addressed the needs of businesses for flexibility by creating the new quarterly (QP) employee parking passes. These passes cover parking for three months.

Thus, if a business needs to hire additional short-term staff for holidays or wants to manage expenses, the owner can now fit parking to their business’s unique needs.

Enforcement is a necessary part of maintaining safety, order and business in the village.

The grossly inaccurate charge has been made that there is a ticket blitz on to raise revenues.

Factually, in the last fiscal year, 2007, of the prior administration 53,759 tickets were issued. At the close of the 2010 fiscal year, over 13,000 fewer tickets were issued.

Parking tickets have been declining steadily in my administration. Tickets issued in fiscal year 2011 are again expected to drop — by an additional 3,000+.

- Mayor Mary Bossart, Concerned Citizens

A: Parking has been a major concern in Rockville Centre for many years. Over the last four years, our current mayor and her super-majority have lost touch with reality on this issue. 

Aggressive ticket writing in our downtown business district must be stopped. 

Economics 101: you don’t raise meter fees in a down economy — you lower them. You do not reduce time given on the meter — you add time. 

You do not increase ticketing — you lower it. You encourage people to patronize our businesses — you do not balance the village budget on their backs.

Employing new parking agents seven nights per week specifically to ticket cars in our downtown is an outrage.

Our goal should be to welcome people to use our movie theater; our restaurants and our stores; not chase them away. Our store owners and residents are begging Village Hall for help; but no one will listen.  We will.