By Anne Levin

Following a public hearing on ordinances updating public parking fees and regulations, Princeton Council on Monday night voted in favor of two ordinances while electing to revisit others before taking a final vote.

Since Council introduced the ordinances at its meeting on July 27, some members of the public have contacted members to express concerns about regulations regarding parking on one side of Hun Road. Taking those comments into consideration, Council voted to amend the ordinance and will revisit it a public hearing on August 24. That amendment changes the ordinance’s effective date to take place upon its final adoption rather than a date that is in the original draft.

Council did vote in favor of an ordinance regulating parking on Walnut Lane and Guyot Avenue related to construction at Princeton Middle School. These regulations, which are for safety considerations, are not permanent.

Also approved was an ordinance that creates a new three-hour parking area in the center of the downtown. This inner zone includes Chambers Street, Palmer Square, Spring Street, Vandeventer Avenue, and Nassau Street from Bayard Lane to Moore Street, increasing from $1.75 an hour to $2.50.

The outer three-hour zone includes Paul Robeson Place west of Witherspoon Street, Witherspoon for two blocks north of Paul Robeson Place, Park Place, Charlton Street, and Nassau Street from Maple to Moore streets. The rate increases from $1.75 to $2 per hour.

The ordinance for changes in the Spring Street Garage includes a flat fee of $5 between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., a maximum 24-hour rate of $33 (up from $23),

and the expansion of daytime hours to encompass 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., at $2 an hour. These changes go into effect on September 14.

The ordinance related to a higher fee for parking at the Dinky train station was also amended following comments from the public, and will be revisited at the public hearing on August 24.

Anita Garoniak, president of Save the Dinky Inc., said the timing of the ordinance introduction while many people are away on summer vacation was not adequate.

“Princeton Council should do everything it can to preserve the Dinky,” she said, referring to the train that links the town with the Northeast Corridor route at Princeton Junction. “Doubling the parking rate from $5 to $10 does not improve the service, just as moving it farther away did not. It creates a disincentive for using the Dinky, so we oppose it.”

Councilman David Cohen said it is thought that many of the parking spaces are taken by Princeton University undergraduates, making it hard for residents to find spaces there. That is among the issues to be explored before the next meeting of Council on August 24.