To the Editor:

Today’s Town Topics headline is “Council Considers Some Parking Revisions” (pg. one, April 17).

Great.

Here’s one for consideration — Take out the whole new system and go back to what we had.

We moved back to Princeton 30 or so years ago. We love it. We love all the stores and all the merchants in them.
I personally have been one of the biggest advocates of shopping locally and helping out our hard working friends here. But now I can’t go into town because the parking system is just dysfunctional. Thank God for the Spring Street and Hulfish garages.

Ok, now we don’t start paying for parking until 9 a.m. instead of 8. Thanks, but if you are meeting someone at Chez Alice on Palmer Square at 9, you can’t put in a quarter at 8:45. Won’t take it. So at 9:01 with an eye out the window in case you have to run out to avoid the fine.

I have five different credit cards. The only one the meters will take is my American Express card. I am retired. I don’t want my American Express card anymore, but I have to keep it because it is the only one your meters accept. Not sure it helps though because in the rain or snow or simple darkness you can’t read the screen to see what’s happening. And of course you have to overestimate the time you’ll be away so you don’t slide into a violation. Very stressful. Oh, how I miss the good old Smart Card.

Reducing the charge from $2 to $1:85 an hour at some meters doesn’t do much.

What we put in is a mess. Let’s admit our mistake and fix it. Please take it down.

Jan Buck
Brooks Bend