Eliminating 2 hours free parking and allowing onlky 30 minutes free and then you pay, will drive shoppers to the Short Hills Mall and not to downtown Summit. In the long run this will hurt Summit businesses.

Has anyone noticed how empty the parking lots are since the new parking was put into effect?? And, you think you get a half hour for free (BIG deal) when in fact if you are there over a half hour that BONUS is eliminated. I think the town is making a BIG mistake as many other commnunities surrounding us have free parking and shoppers will be more inclined to go there than come to Summit. It all makes me really sad as I like to shop in Summit and try to do most of my shopping there but this is a deterrent. And, if they are trying to do away with downtown employees they should not lose sight of the fact that we also shop in downtown Summit and support the stores. Just do not understand the short sightedness of this decision!!!

Ridiculous. A long time ago there was paid parking in Summit. Smart people realized when the Short Hills Mall opened that easy parking was one of the best ways to keep shoppers downtown. What idiot now decided to drive them away???

Have you noticed how full the employee lots are now? That's the good news. The bad news is the DeForest lot pricing needs work. It is a business proposition. It is troubling that the 30 minute bonus is not added to time used. This is time for Summit Downtown Inc and the elected officials to guide city adminstrative policy.

Two friends of mine went to the movies in Summit and had to pay $3.00 parking!
Forget it, we can go to Chatham, Madison, Millburn to a movie and not pay for parking. CSM

I agree with Robert. I have been astounded at how empty the shopper parking lots are now which goes to show how many of the spots were being used by employees. As a resident of Summit I enjoy shopping and dining in town but would frequently avoid Summit because parking was a hassle. The rates are reasonable but the 30 minute free allowance should be included in your final fee. Madison and Millburn both have similar parking fee schemes as Summit and therefore would NOT encourage me to visit those destinations over Summit. Downtown Summit has wonderful stores and very good restaurants that pull people in. I want to know that I can park my car fairly easily without planning an extra 15 minutes to my trip in trying to look for a parking space!!

Huge success. As someone who drives to Summit between 10 am and 3 pm often for haircuts, shoppting etc. the change has been nothing but positive. Paid parking works in towns as diverse as Westfield, New Brunswick and Princeton and it will work in Summit.

I can understand the need for the town to increase revenue to minimize tax increases, and perhaps the town council has better info on abuse of parking by the shop owners, but if one has lived in the city long enough it might be remembered that years ago fees were charged for parking and it was not very profitable. Now we may all have to pay a parking fee in terms of the principal and interest due on the bond issue which certainly looks right now to be insufficiently covered by revenue. I would love to have seen the cost benefit analysis on this project.

I don't think the fees are prohibitive, and I am enjoying the ParkMobile phone app, which makes it really easy to pay and to extend the parking session without going back to the lot. Hal, I think there were paid attendants at the lots before, so maybe there will be less overhead with this system. I am glad for anything that discourages employees from parking in shopper lots and at meters. And I do wish they would make it easier for people with mobility challenges to get from the lots to the stores!!!

This is definitely a deterrent to shopping in downtown Summit. It's much cheaper to park at a meter, but just try to find an available one. It's supposed to bring in extra revenue to the city, but not if no one uses it.

So many of our neighboring towns offer free parking for shoppers. If you are coming into Summit to do almost anything you are going to be in the lot for more than a half hour. Wouldn't it be more shopper-friendly to offer two hours free? I would really like to hear from our business owners to see if there has been any impact on traffic in their stores. We can say it has been a success because employees are out of the lots - but I don't notice that the lots are full with shoppers' cars. They seem rather empty. So let's attract more shoppers with the offer of free parking.

Not only is it ridiculous, I work in summit and an used to paying for parking, but i now have to stand in a long line every morning while people try to figure out how to operate the payment machine, I cant even begin to count how many people i have assisted in this every day. I should start charging the town a consultant fee. i for one will not come to summit to shop unless I am already here for work, I pay enough money in daily employee parking. I have patient who come to my office and although I explain in great detail the new parking policy , inevitably I need to send them back downstairs to either pay for parking or i have to run down there to add funds to their meters. a total disruption in patient care. This problem needs a resolution and quickly.

The critical issue is, and always has been, the use of shopper lots by downtown employees, some more blatant than others. The bottom line was not to increase revenue but to solve that problem and bring more business to downtown Summit. There is certainly room for some fine tuning of the cost structure. The first 30 free should be applied to any length of stay. Westfield downtown is packed and shopper parking is not free. Just hope those with the ability to do the fine tuning are listening.

I love reading everyone's feedback, in particularly Meredith, LOL for employees own machine. I also think Susan Hunter hit it on the nose, I would love to see how this is hurting the business owners in downtown Summit. I also agree with how sad it is to drive and see the parking lots empty, not use to seeing Summit empty, but rather full. It just looks sad and being a Summit resident, taxes goes up or not, I truly do not enjoy seeing huge lots empty like that, because where are all these individuals going, certainly no longer Summit, they are going.... we should rethink!

I love the stores in Summit but rarely go due to parking issues. It's just too easy to continue on to the Short Hills mall. Charging for parking will just make it even more likely that I won't spend my money in Summit. Such a shame because it is such a charming town.

I worked in downtown Summit for 5 years. I lived there until I left at 17/18. I don't remember these high parking costs. I remember the ticket lady used to chase me around looking to ticket me lol good times. Summit has changed for the worse.. Really has. The only reason I go into Summit is to see my girlfriend but I won't do business in downtown summit with this garbage happening.

I have kids sports in town, and a wife that works there. Between two plus the fraudulent/incorrect ticket we get every month or two. Parking in Summit is costing our household over $1000/year. We need to get out. Out of Summit, out of NJ. Last one here pays *all* the taxes.

The “employee cleansing” and facility improvements on the DeForest parking lots has caused some pain. I sympathize with the occasional shopper/visitor put out by this change. I feel worse for the merchant/downtown property owner. It is easy to move around in a free marketplace. It is much harder to uproot a business. It is mind numbing to transfer a property right. Summit is a vibrant work-shop, not like the little neighbor towns and thankfully, not the Mall

I think this will really hurt business but I guess you will find out soon enough. How much did that system cost the city?

I was originally opposed to paid parking in Summit, but since it has been implemented, I'm beginning to change my mind. I'm ambivalent now. I no longer patronize downtown Summit businesses, but have found many outstanding retailers, restaurants, and services nearby that I never would have visited had I not abandoned Downtown Summit.

I am so turned off to Summit and its greed that I chose not to shop or eat in the town as a rebellion. I can't even go to my town library without having to PAY? Seriously, it is wrong. Even meeting someone for lunch & then having to worry about the meters....needing change, etc. It is easier to go to New Providence and park, for free and not to worry. Summit is seriously doing itself a disservice. I hope someone downtown can see that and make some changes.

For me if I need to do something in town it doesn't matter where I park. It is difficult to understand the rules of the various parking lots. In fact, I parked the other night after 6 and I asked the person driving the Parking Enforcement car what the rules were. That person said the gates are up tonight because it was the first week but they will be down and you will have to pay after 6. I find it confusing and have started to look to neighboring towns for errands. UPS store in New Providence, Post Office in Chatham are VERY easy to park. Summit Medical Group for doctors and Short Hills for dining and shopping. I'd like to give my business to my town but the parking situation is quite frustrating.

I will shop in New Providence or the Short Hills Mall

This plan was not well thought out. The "free" 30 minute time is not only not sufficient to park and go to a store, even briefly, but also a false statement as, once you go over the 30 minute time limit, you do not receive 30 minutes free, but have to pay from the enterance time.
The system is clumsy, requiring all to stop at the pay station. If the Iphone app is successful, it will help, as long as you remember to drive close enough to the station to reach your phone into the meter. All in all, I believe it discourages shoppers from coming to Summit to shop, which we all know we need to sustain a vital downtown.

The new Summit parking system is confusing, expensive and is driving away shoppers and in turn hurting our merchants. Summit is making a BIG mistake as Chatham, Madison, Millburn and Westfield have free parking for at least 2 hours and shoppers will be more inclined to go there than come to Summit. And the free 30 minutes is a joke. I like to shop in Summit and support this town but this is a real deterrent. This is very short sighted and is already hurting this town. Check out the lots on DeForest. They used to be full and now less than 1/3 full. And now it is going to take a lot longer to pay off the bonds used to redo the lots. Again, big mistake for Summit.

Fred Day

Today’s shopping list. A big list for SB @ The Wine List of Summit, Balsamic Vinegar @Carter Cavero, Fajita Seasoning @ Penzey’s, a bowl of tasty soup @ The Eatery, Next week running shoes @ the Summit Running Company.

I'd rather pay to find a spot quickly than drive all over looking for an open spot. My time is worth more than the small fee. Also, I know (as a frequent downtown walker) that those lots were filled with retail employees as are the meters (now more than ever). I often see them running out of their stores to fill the meter. I realize they have to park somewhere but there are several lots for that they should be using if they really want customers to come to their locations frequently. This is a two way street, right? Your business will not be hurt if you park farther away in the lots and leave the close metered spots for your guests!

Work great!! So easy to park now. Quick hits to stores are fast and free. I'm fine with paying for longer stays - would have fed the meter anyway. Now I know I can always get a spot quickly without employees taking up all the most valuable spots! Makes shopping in Summit a pleasure....