“The Town of Brattleboro will be transitioning to a new parking system beginning November 21, 2024, marking a significant shift in how parking is managed. Key features include:
– A Pay by Plate system, eliminating the former Pay and Display method
– The removal of all on-street parking meters
– The installation of parking kiosks throughout the downtown area
– A Pay by Text option, in addition to the existing mobile app
– New signage throughout town that will display instructions, including how to use the app and text service
The fee for short-term parking options, including on-street parking and the Harmony and Prestons lots, will be set at $1.50 per hour. The fee for long-term parking options, including the Harris, High Grove, and Spring Street lots as well as the Transportation Center, will be set at $0.55 per hour.
Brattleboro will continue to use the Park Smarter app, which is available on mobile devices from the Google Play Store for Android or Apple Store for iOS. Users will need to create an account at the login screen. The app is especially helpful for those who regularly park downtown. The new Pay by Text option is a faster alternative for visitors who would like to park quickly, without needing to download the app.
The Town of Brattleboro will be offering free parking from Monday, November 18 through Wednesday, November 20 to facilitate the transition to the new parking system. The new parking system will be operational beginning November 21.
As part of this transition, a fee for parking will be implemented on Sundays, starting on November 24, 2024.
For more information, including information about parking rates, visit Brattleboro.gov/Parking.
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230 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Brattleboro Transitions to New Parking System on Nov. 21,
Free Parking Days Announced
Date: Nov. 14, 2024”
And the shopkeepers all sing
“Why doesn’t anyone shop downtown?”
Yes, why is that? Good question! There’s no way to know, is there?
Apps
No mention of the ability to drop a few coins in the kiosk. Without that my mom, her sister and I will guess many others will never be able to park downtown again. If I forget my phone neither can I. My typical park downtown is a 15 minute run into the hardware store for something or a stop for coffee and a bagel. So far a phone has not become a physical part of my body. More reasons for locals to avoid downtown.
Me, too
No apps for me. Don’t carry any devices with me. I can park from/at home, though. : )
Pretty sure they went with an option for coins and cash, despite their desire to go cashless. That adds “going to find a kiosk” to your shopping route rather than tossing a coin in the meter next to the vehicle. More obstacles to overcome!
This also gets rid of being able to see the green light on a meter and knowing that a few minutes are still left on it, and being able to choose that one over the one next to it flashing red.
I tried to shop downtown this week. Really did. I wanted to pay 1% more for my purchases. I parked, fed the meter, and went to the bookstore I wanted to visit… and it was closed. So I went to another and… they required masks and I had left mine in the car. Other stores are closed due to the fire, or out of business. I gave up. All this, and it cost me money to waste my time, too.