Drivers parking in White Plains now have more time to return to their vehicles before receiving a parking ticket.
The City of White Plains Department of Parking and Traffic has doubled the grace period for parking from six minutes to 12 minutes at all municipal parking locations, giving drivers additional flexibility when appointments run long, errands take extra time or unexpected delays occur.
The extended grace period applies to all municipal parking throughout the city, including on-street meters, garages and surface lots, totaling more than 13,000 parking spaces.
Why White Plains decided to extend the parking meter grace period
Mayor Justin Brasch said the decision to extend the grace period was influenced by his own
experiences with parking delays.
Brasch said he would often return to his vehicle after meetings, dinners or other situations, only to find that he had received a parking ticket. He said the goal was to make a simple adjustment that would improve the parking experience for residents, workers and visitors.
"I felt it was unfair and wanted to fix that," Brasch said. "This seems like a very fair thing to do and an easy thing to do."
Brasch said the additional time allows for the everyday interruptions that can prevent someone from returning to their vehicle exactly on schedule.
"If you forgot to feed the meter, it gives you more time," Brasch said. "It makes it easier for people to have all of the normal interruptions that happen in life."
He added that the city continues to look for ways to make White Plains more convenient for everyone who spends time there.
"We always want to make things better for people who live, work and play in White Plains," Brasch said.
How the new grace period works
Once a parking session expires, a 12-minute grace period automatically begins. Parking enforcement officers can see when a vehicle is within the grace period and cannot issue a ticket until the full 12 minutes have elapsed.
The policy applies regardless of how drivers pay for parking, whether through the Park White Plains mobile app, at a pay station or with coins at a meter.
Time-limited parking spaces are also included. For example, a driver who pays for a maximum one-hour stay will receive an additional 12 minutes after the hour expires before a ticket can be issued.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Own experiences drove White Plains parking meter changes, mayor says
