But on a run to the liquor store in June, he found the meters gone, replaced with signs directing him to download an app on his cellphone to pay for parking — an app he couldn’t get to work.
”Fred’s Liquor Store may lose my business for today,” said Campbell, 71, of Malvern, Pennsylvania. “I don’t want to risk it for $34,” he added, referring to the cost of a ticket.
Campbell is one of scores of locals, visitors and business owners in the wealthy Jersey Shore community in Cape May County who are weary of the town’s two-year-old parking app.
They complain that ParkMobile doesn’t always work, gives them no other payment options and has caused them to be ticketed often and unfairly. That has made some reluctant to shop, hurting local merchants, critics say.
“Business is down 20 percent for the month of June,” said Kath Barclay, general manager at Harbor Burger Bar on 96th Street. “We think it has to do with the app. It’s stopping people from coming out because parking’s been a nightmare.”
Natacha Nicolau, manager at nearby Breezin’ Up, a clothing store, said she has helped dozens of tourists navigate the app. She said people get ticketed because they think they’ve paid for parking, but the app malfunctions, or they’ll become frustrated with the app and risk getting a ticket.
“You do have the people who are like, ‘Well, I’m not going to shop any longer because this has become a hassle,’” she said.
Parking tickets in the town of 796 residents have jumped since officials implemented the technology last summer. In a typical June pre-pandemic, police wrote 164 tickets. That number rose to 893 in June 2023 and 771 last month.
According to the town’s budget, Stone Harbor collected $431,951 in revenue in 2022 from its meter system and the app it used at the time. It also brought in another $30,840 from parking ticket fines, according to the Cape May County Herald.
Last year, parking revenue dipped to $343,771, according to the town’s budget. But the town raked in $110,015 in parking fines, according to the Cape May County Herald.
Stone Harbor Police Chief Thomas Schutta did not return calls for comment.
But Councilmember Robin Casper expressed concern about the new app.
“I always felt there should be a secondary option,” she said, “and I still feel that way. There should be kiosks also in several locations or at least a couple of locations.”
Before ParkMobile, motorists paid for parking using a meter or an app called mPay2Park, with most opting to feed the meter.
But last summer, Stone Harbor removed parking meters and the app, citing maintenance costs, and replaced them with the ParkMobile app.
Town Administrator Manny Parada pitched ParkMobile as a solution to the town’s “problematic” and costly meter system in 2022, saying the meters constantly malfunctioned and, by 2025, would need to be replaced, costing the town.
ParkMobile wouldn’t need physical kiosks or people to maintain it, he said.
At the time, then-Councilmember Reese Moore called the solution a “win-win for the borough, homeowners, as well as for visitors.”
All the app needed was functioning internet, which Stone Harbor has — though it can be spotty.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, mobile broadband access can be as low as 14 percent in some parts of town. Rutgers researcher Richard Howard, who studies wireless connection, said the network is further strained on summer weekends when thousands of visitors come to Stone Harbor.
Howard said there “is not enough internet capacity, if you will, in the area.”
The low broadband access can create problems when using and downloading the parking app.
That’s why Patrick Scoble, 47, said he got a ticket last summer while visiting for the weekend with his family to escape the heat in Philadelphia. When he tried to use ParkMobile, he said it wouldn’t let his purchase go through.
“It was a dead end,” Scoble said.
Barclay, the restaurant manager, said she often helps tourists with similar situations. But sometimes the app won’t work because there’s not enough internet capacity, she said.
“They can’t get the app open, like download it,” Barclay said.
ParkMobile spokesperson Haley Hass acknowledged that if there is a bad connection, the app may take longer to download, time out or fail. She said that in these instances, drivers should use the text or call-to-pay options available on the signage or contact the town directly.
Ray Stier, 64, recently texted the number on the ParkMobile street sign with his credit card information instead of using the app. But the Aston, Pennsylvania, resident wasn’t happy doing so.
“I’m concerned about sharing my private information,” he said of having to enter his credit card number. “I asked not to share the information, but I’m not sure if it registered or not. I would rather have a parking meter.”
Nicolau, the clothing store manager, said she often helps older customers and visitors with the app.
“A lot of people don’t want to be involved with putting in their credit card information,” Nicolau said. “That’s kind of off-putting to them.”
Despite its problems, some users say they find the app convenient.
“Nine times out of 10, I feel that it works for me,” said Cheryl McHail, 45, of nearby Cape May Court House, who visits often. “It’s quick and easy. I never have quarters.”
The app alerts users 15 minutes before their time is up.
“If I’m on the beach, I don’t have to run up and put money in the meter. I just push a button on my phone, and it automatically extends the time,” McHail said.
“I personally like it if it works,” she added. “If it doesn’t, then that’s another issue.”
Last summer, she nearly got a ticket when the app wouldn’t load her parking spot location. But she spotted an officer, showed him the problem, and he let her off.
“He said, ‘Yeah, we’ve been having a lot of problems with that,’” McHail said.
“Like, what do you do at that point?” she added. “Do you leave and try to find another spot? Do you just park there because there’s a billion other cars there?”
That’s why many support having a second option to pay for parking.
Marnie Lengle, Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce coordinator, said in the winter, the chamber and several businesses asked councilmembers if the town could install eight kiosks in the busiest parts of town.
Lengle said it would be a “wonderful” compromise. However, “they weren’t interested in doing that.”
During a city council meeting in February, members discussed keeping ParkMobile or doing away with paid parking.
“We want it to work,” said Councilmember Bunny Parzych. “We don’t want to pour a lot of money. We’re trying to save money anywhere we can, and these kiosks are what, $10,000?”
Councilmember Tim Carney wants Stone Harbor to give the app a chance.
“This might be one of those cases where it’s a little rough, a little rough sledding in the beginning,” Carney said. “I’m thinking we try it out another year and let the dust settle even more.”
Back on 96th Street, Chuck Campbell got the app to work after deleting it from his phone and re-downloading it.
“It seems expensive to have meters,” Campbell said, “but there should be a way out of the conundrum.”
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