Backlash over new meters

Two weeks into the three-month-long trial of new parking meters on Park Avenue, the reaction from many village residents has been confusion, if not downright anger.

The meters, a joint venture of MasterCard and Parkeon Inc., were first announced at a village board meeting on Oct. 7. They allow parkers to pay with their credit cards as well as coins, and offer coupons for local businesses as well. They are the first of their kind, and Rockville Centre is their proving ground.

But for many residents, the new meters still have much to prove.

They work similarly to the “munimeters” that residents are used to in village lots. A customers pays for a parking spot, and the meter prints out a ticket. Unlike the munimeters, however, the ticket needs to be placed on the dashboard.

“It takes too long for [the ticket] to come out,” said shopper Ellen Mastro. “I don’t want any special offers, I just want to print my ticket. And the fact that you have to go back to your car — if I parked all the way up the block, then I’ve got to walk all the way back to my car. So no, I don’t like them.”

“See?” she added, minutes later. “I’m still standing here waiting.”

There are several kinks that residents will have to deal with during the pilot program. Due to the unevenness of the sidewalk, the meters are at varying heights. In harsh sun, the electronic screens can be difficult to read. And the system itself has confused some shoppers: It looks like it operates with a touch screen, but it actually uses a keypad.

In some instances, drivers are getting back in their cars and driving away, before their tickets even print.

“They’re coming through the business and just asking, ‘How does this work?’” said one Park Avenue business owner, who preferred to remain anonymous. “And if the merchants weren’t educated, we can’t help. So it’s no good for our business.”