Railroad Parking Fees Could Skyrocket This Summer

The down economy could lead to large fee increases for parking at Westport’s train stations. The police department, which oversees the parking lots, proposes a 78 percent fee increase for annual passes and a 25 percent increase for daily parking.

“The simplest reason is that the expenses are higher than the revenues,” said Deputy Chief Dale Call. He added, “Revenue stays the same and/or drops, especially over the last year. The expenses go up every year.”

It will be the first parking fee increase in seven years, according to Call. A survey of other towns shows that Westport currently has the cheapest annual parking fees in all of Fairfield County.

The new fees will be voted on by the Board of Selectman on April 27 at 4 p.m. in Westport Town Hall. If the new fees are approved, effective July 1 the annual parking would rise from $225 to $400, while daily parking would increase from $4 to $5.

Although a portion of the parking lots are owned by the state, Westport is responsible for maintenance, security and enforcement. Call said that the money for larger projects, such as repaving, simply isn’t there. He cited snow removal cost that totaled $225,000 for the parking lots this past winter, which was $100,000 over budget.

Call also said that the increases will bring Westport’s fees in line with other towns, most of which have charged more over the years. While the fee increases will boost the railing parking fund’s finances, it could also conceivably have some additional benefits.  

With the additional fees, the years-long waiting list could shrink a bit as people may opt out of parking passes.

“Will it shake some permits?” said Call. “It might. I don’t know if that’s a big benefit.”

He added, “It might make some people use the bus, but that’s not the reason for us doing this.”

Jim Cameron, chairman of the CT Metro-North Commuter Council, said that "Westport has a very good track record on using parking revenues first to serve commuters (station repairs, security, etc) and only then taking left-overs for other purposes."

He hopes, "the same would be true of such a sizable jump in annual fees. Otherwise the price hike could be seen as a tax on commuters who have no other options," he said in an email.

$42/month for residents. $84/month for non-residents

$279-$488

$225

$400

Clarification: The original Stamford fees posted were for the Glenbrook station and not the main station.