OCEAN CITY – After evaluating backups at the Inlet Parking lot, the Transportation Commission is recommending a reconfiguration of the exit booths.
In 2010, the town switched from having four attended cash/credit pay-to-exit booths at the Inlet Parking Lot to three attended cash/credit booths and one unattended credit card only booth.
“We went to a credit card only lane thinking it would speed up exiting traffic but what we have experienced is that they don’t use that lane either. It is too cumbersome by entering the ticket and credit card and it is a process that slows down the exit. What is happening is the supervisors and attendants are going to that lane to assist,” Public Works Deputy Director John VanFossen said. “Our biggest complaint at the parking lot is during the time of exit. If there is any type of special event going on … they have to exit the parking lot and they want to exit in a timely manner but currently they are unable to do that.”
VanFossen added the majority of complaints are also due to the traffic backup to get through the exit booths and having to pay for the extra time while waiting.
“The attendants receive a lot of abuse over this,” he said.
VanFossen recommended the town return to the four attended cash/credit booths.
During the 2014 season, Booth 1 received 163,519 cash/credit transactions, making $780,155 in revenue; Booth 2 received 134,378 cash/credit transactions, making $738,175 in revenue; Booth 3 received 95,525 cash/credit transactions, making $569,875 in revenue; Booth 4, which is the emergency exit used in the time of overflow, received 1,692 transactions and made $11,613 in revenue; and the credit card only lane received 23,621 transactions and made $110,370 in revenue.
Following the booth reconfiguration in January 2013, the Mayor and City Council approved the $370,000 to install a new cashier system in the booths at the Inlet Parking Lot, as the prior system had become outdated and corroded.
“In budget discussions we looked at the immediate needs and we looked at our future needs,” said VanFossen, who estimated the recently installed pay system has at least another two to three years in its life cycle.
Mayor Rick Meehan pointed out technology is going to change in the next two to three years.
“In three years, I think we are going to be looking at something completely different,” City Engineer Terry McGean said.
Councilman Dennis Dare also agreed, acknowledging the use of license plate readers, EZ Pass and now mobile apps as a payment method for parking.
“We all realize that we are open to new technology moving forward in the next four-year period … but right now we are looking at 2015 and what we are going to do at the Inlet Parking Lot,” the mayor said.
If the town were to go back to four cash/credit booths, a fourth booth would have to be installed.
“We have a multi-million dollar business and we need to make it work as efficiently as we can and it is not doing that,” McGean said. “The issue that we have is when we did put in the new system it had to be fully ADA compatible and that included the booths, so that forced us to widen the booth locations to the point where I couldn’t fit a fourth booth in line with the other three … if I shift the new booth to the east, I can take advantage of the wider pavement area and fit the fourth booth in. The new booth is offset 60 feet to the east. If I put it in line with the others, we will end up losing a batch of parking. I think this will work.”
Staff estimates $26,000 for equipment, $12,000 in employee costs and $5,000 for concrete work. The commission voted unanimously to favorable recommend to the full council the expenditure of $43,000 to reconfigure the Inlet Parking Lot booths to help ease traffic and complaints.