WPCNR THE PARKING NEWS. Interview with Al Moroni, Commissioner of Parking with John F. Bailey. January 18, 2007: In response to citizen complaints, The City of White Plains is reviewing its on-street parking policies  that limit parking at downtown on-street meters and on unmetered streets in certain parts of town to the 1 or 2 hour time limits noticed on the meter or by signs,  regardless of whether you “feed the meter” when you park in or move your car to another spot on the same street.

Commissioner of Parking, Al Moroni.

Present White Plains Meters Do Not Advise Motorists Specifically they can only park for the limit imposed on a specific street once a day.

According to Mr. Moroni speaking to WPCNR today, the Traffic Commission has asked the Department of Parking, the Traffic Department and the Law Depart to meet and “to take a look at the ordinance and see what can be done to come up with an ordinance that is enforceable and understandable (to the public)."  Deputy Commissioner of Parking, John Larson said a date for that meeting has not been set.

An unspecified number of residents have gotten tickets when they have returned to the downtown, “fed a new meter” and still got a ticket when they parked on the same street they had parked on during their first trip to the downtown, according  to Commissioner of Parking, Al Moroni.

He said there have not been many persons this has happened to, but when it does, “it seems so unfair to them, they get pretty upset about it.” If, they return to the downtown and park on a different street at a meter, they would not get a ticket, Moroni said.

Moroni remarked that there are several issues the Commission is examining in addition to the controversial “Double Jeopardy” parking ordinance.  one  is parking beyond the limit in a parking lot beyond the 1 or 2 hour limit, regardless of whether you come back and feed the meter at the end of the two hours,  you receive a “Beyond the Limit” Ticket. After time has expired, you have to move your car to a garage or another parking lot, and cannot “feed the meter” to stay in the lot if if you move to a different space.

The second issue involves streets around the city which are not metered where signs say parking is limited to 1 or 2 hours. Neighborhoods don’t want people working in an adjacent area using their streets for parking for their business, Moroni said.

Double Jeopardy Clarification under review by "Task Force"

Moroni, whose Deputy Commissioner of Parking, John Larson, attended the Traffic Commission meeting Wednesday morning when the decision reexamine the “Double Jeopardy” issue was made, said “We are wrestling with how do we come up with a more fair way of treating this problem.”

The Traffic Commission, WPNCR had learned from a member of the commission, speaking to WPCNR under condition of anonymity, took up the “Double Jeopardy” problem and our original source reports that the commission members all agree it should be changed and it is “under review” as to how the meters can be “resigned” to cut down the possibilities of getting a second ticket even when you’ve fed the meter.

It has not been decided whether one of those options is eliminating Double Jeopardy.  Our source said, the talk is to make the meter instructions more explicit to enlighten motorists they can only park once on the same metered street during the meter enforcement times. 

White Plains Week First

The “Double Jeopardy Ticket” was first exposed by White Plains Week, the controversial Public Access Television news roundup show (cablecast to Mr. and Mrs. White Plains, Fridays at 7 and Mondays at 7:30 on Channel 76) last year.

Moroni explained how the White Plains street meter parker exposes himself to the “Double Jeopardy” Ticket:

“You park on Mamaroneck between Main & Post Road in the A.M . An officer scans your license into his computer at 9:30. You leave. You come back at 1:30 P.M., and park on the same street (Mamaroneck Avenue) but not in the same spot. The parking officer will give you a ticket (even if you have put money in the meter) because you have parked in violation of the beyond the limit of the area.” Moroni said “same area” means “same street.” “That’s how we’re interpreting and enforcing it,” Moroni confirmed.

The parking meters do not specifically warn you that you cannot park in another meter on the same street.

Moroni defended the Double Jeopardy system because he said, that without limiting parking on the same street, people who work in the stores in the downtown will be jockeying  their cars along the street their business is on, taking away space from legitimate shoppers.

$15 Fine Signs Placed in The Galleria

New signs warning motorists that after the Parking Office is closed in The Galleria, motorists are subject to a $15 fine, instead of the $2 overtime notice, have posted. Mr. Moroni said that $15 has always been in effect, and is not new, just that the signs are.