Commuters plan to travel to NYC less frequently, survey reveals
NEW CANAAN — Most residents plan to start commuting to New York City just one to three days a week in the near future, according to a recent survey conducted by the town in concert with the Parking Commission.
The town used Survey Monkey between April 29 and May 5 to learn commuters’ plans regarding renewing parking permits, assuming they were to renew for July. After discussing the results of the survey, the commission voted unanimously to suspend renewals for permits until September.
As many as 40 percent of the respondents said they would be interested in commuting one to three days per week, and 27 percent said they expect to commute into the city three to five days a week into the city.
In past years, the “lion’s share” of commuters went into the city three to five days a week, which is down 45 percent, Chairman Keith Richey said at meeting after the survey results were released.
This could be the “new normal,” said member Peter Ogilvie, and other commissioners agreed.
“We all accept that there will be a new normal. I have a hard time envisioning that we will all go back to commuting (nearly) every day,” Richey said. People already worked from home occasionally and that practice is gaining momentum, he added.
The town sent 1,376 surveys and received 437 responses, nearly 30 percent. “A great response,” Administrative Officer Tucker Murphy said.
While 60 percent that said they planned to renew their permit in July, 30 percent were unsure, and 10 percent said no.
Commissioner Drew Magratten recommended delaying charging for parking until September and waiting to determine a price then, because the commission will not “have enough information until we are well into a recovery here, to set rates.”
Less than 10 percent of respondents said they are not planning on renewing.
“We always lose some people every year,” Richey said; that
number is not “too surprising,” since people retire, move on and change jobs.
Parking Director Stacy Miltenberg agreed the number of nonrenewals did not seem unusual.
Commissioner Jennifer Donovan raised concerns about the amount of revenue that would be
lost by postponing renewals from July to September.
According to pre-COVID-19 numbers, the town could lose up to $120,000, Miltenberg had calculated.
Richey noted the town would not lose that much because of the decision, since fewer people would
have renewed than previous years.
Special projects coordinator Bob Mantilla said he will be helping the town recoup some of the lost revenue with the help of the American Rescue Plan, which is designed to offer relief from various effects of the pandemic.
Donovan wondered if people may be squeamish about using mass transportation in the future.
Commissioner Laura Budd contended that it would be “nice to get people off the commuter lots waiting list,” which the town has had for years.
She spoke against renewing the permits at a lower price over the summer, because she feared it would be hard to bring the fee back up in the future.
Surrounding towns have been charging regular fees for months, persisting with “business as usual,” Miltenberg said.
Budd said she was still happy with the commission’s decision.
License readers were discussed as a possible method on detecting how many times commuters have parked in a municipal parking lot, so that the town could offer threedays-per-week passes.
Running to the meter
Shoppers no longer have to run out to “feed the meters” since New Canaan has incorporated PayByPhone in its village lots now, which people can sign up for by a link on the town website, newcanaan.info. The town had already had the convenience of paying the meter by phone in commuter lots.
The Parking Commission approved PayByPhone for consumer lots this past January. The New Canaan Board of Selectmen signed a five-year contract with PayByPhone Technologies soon thereafter.