A significant parking overhaul in the city of Troy is set to begin next month.
Parking in Troy is about to go high-tech. Across-the-board changes include opening up additional spaces, adjusting parking hours, parking meter upgrades and electronic payment options.
Cheryl Kennedy, Troy’s Economic Development Coordinator, says recommendations from a 2016 parking study, an in-house use analysis and a look at the city of Albany's parking program helped foster the changes. "...what we're first doing is upgrading the kiosks that we have already out on the street. We also have meters that have been in storage that will be upgrading and deploying during this phase one. In addition to that we're gonna be adding visitor parking in public visitor and parking garages, and we're going to be also deploying a pay-by cell program."
City Council President Carmella Mantello: "Certainly the upgraded kiosk, online payment options and better signage is needed. And with the concerns I've heard from Troy residents and out-of-towners, visiting Troy is the confusion and inconsistency of what streets are metered, what streets aren't. On some one side of the street is metered, the other isn't, the machines aren't working."
Mayor Patrick Madden says the revamp is part of a phased implementation plan for parking improvements in the Central Business District. "We're looking at a situation where, over the years, parking developed hither and yon and it wasn't part of a thought-out plan. Things got moved around, signs got left up. What we're hearing is that people who come to Troy could use better signage to find visitor parking. Those who work in Troy should know where they can and cannot park. Parking restrictions ought to be consistent from one side of the street to the other. So we're just trying to tidy it up, make it all part of a well thought-out plan that serves the needs of how the city is used today."
Kennedy says 50 metered spaces will be created for dedicated visitor parking throughout city-owned lots and garages. Signage will go up to help visitors find space. "If you have a suburban mindset and you're coming to an urban core, you're gonna have a different mindset on parking than somebody who lives in downtown Troy who can, you know, parallel park in five seconds flat. You know if you're coming from a suburb, you might think, well, I would prefer to park in a parking spot that's off-street."
Mantello hopes the new signage will help visitors find City Hall. "This is something that's desperately needed. I've called for it over the past year and a half, and I'll continue monitoring the implementation of the new downtown parking enhancements. I look forward to working with the administration to seek additional improvements.”
24 new kiosks will effectively double the number of meters in the downtown core. Existing units in less frequently used areas will be relocated to higher traffic zones to meet demand. Madden says additional improvements will likely be announced later this year.
For more information on public parking, including a map of available city-owned parking lots and garages, visit Troy’s parking management page at www.troyny.gov
