Parking meter rates in downtown Hanover were doubled to 50 cents an hour on Monday following the outcome of a July vote by local business owners.
The increase will affect meters in town parking lots as well as most of Lebanon Street, which had previously used 25 cents an hour. Meters on Main Street and more central sections of Lebanon Street were already operating at the 50 cent rate.
The 100 percent increase was installed to standardize all parking rates in town, discourage meter feeding by downtown employees and generate revenues to support the construction and operation of a new parking garage, according to Sgt. Patrick O'Neill of the Town Parking Board.
The garage, set to be completed in June 2000, is a joint construction project, involving both Dartmouth College and the town of Hanover. The complex will be located on Lebanon Street, across from the rear of the Hopkins Center. The new building will include nearly three hundred parking spaces, as well as retail space and a large office area to be used by Dartmouth.
This rate increase was intended since the meters on Main Street were switched to 50 cents.
"We wanted all downtown parking to have the same rate," O'Neill said. However, due to the high cost of electronic meters, the rate change had to be segmented.
Reactions to the rate increase have been mixed. Downtown business owners were able to vote on the proposition before the July decision, and the majority were in support of the new rate. The owner of Main Street Kitchens hopes that that the change will prevent meter feeding by employees.
"The employees of the larger businesses always park on downtown streets, and that takes spaces from customers," she said.
Other town employees explained that they park at Thompson Arena, where Hanover provides parking for downtown employees. Many employees were dubious that the increase would effectively deter meter feeders, but still supported the decision.
Hanover residents felt that the parking rates were being inflated by College related tourism, resulting in overpriced parking. Most shoppers in Hanover yesterday felt the garage construction was important enough to justify the rate hike.
"What we need is more parking, and if paying more now will get us more parking later, then it's okay," explained one Hanover resident.
