Asbury Park Parking Meters / Pay Stations

I probably should of written about Asbury Park's new Parking Meters that have been installed. They are not actually parking meters - but central "pay stations". They're actaully quite simple, once you realize you have to pay to park in the areas near the boardwalk.

If you park in a numbered space - jot it down or memorize it. Then as you walk toward the boardwalk or along Kinglsey Ave , you'll see the PAY STATIONS.

You can pay by credit card, bills or coins. Just enter in your space number, and press the button to increment how long you plan on parking there, then either swipe a credit card or insert your money. Press the GREEN Button to get a receipt which you should retain. It has your space number (make sure its correct) and the time you have before you have to replenish or move on.

What's really nice is that you can replenish from ANY pay station - not just the one you originally used.

More importantly - to go along with one of the CHEAPEST seasonal beach badges, the parking is about as cheap as you'll find in any resort town. As of today (September 9, 2008), the rate is .50 per hour. Not bad. I think it should be $1.00 hour. That's still cheap for a resort area and if you're willing to walk 2 blocks, you can probably find FREE street parking.

You can also drive around a bit. The redeveloper has several nice paved lots that are, for now, free. But that will change.

So don't forget to pay when you park in a numbered space.