News

Dec 03, 2023

Johnson City Makes Way for EV & Cashless Meters

Johnson City is looking to take parking into the 21st century though a couple

Johnson City is looking to take parking into the 21st century though a couple initiatives that move away from traditional parking meter technology.

A public hearing will be held November 15 to discuss a proposal to add a new section to the Village Code that could replace some parking in the Village with charging stations for electric vehicles.

Section 300-40.23 of the Village Code: "Electric vehicle supply equipment regulations" would establish rules for the siting and operation of equipment related to charging the alternative fuel vehicles in Johnson City.

Mayor Martin Meaney says in the future the plan is to contract with Greenspot, an electric charging station company based in Jersey City, New Jersey install and maintain up to 15 charging stations to be located on Lewis Street, where the traffic was changed to one-way between Willow Street and Jenison Avenue to allow for diagonal parking and the municipal lot on Avenue C with three additional stations available on Isabelle Place in the future.Meaney says Greenspot would maintain the infrastructure and upgrades while the village would get 20% of the revenues from the charging stations.

There are three levels of electric vehicle charging voltage. Level one, "trickle charge", is used by many passenger vehicles that plug into household current and takes several hours to recharge using a 15 or 20-amp breaker on a 120-volt AC circuit and standard outlet.

The Village charging stations would be level 2, considered a medium charge, typically requiring a 40-amp to 100-amp breaker on a 240-volt circuit and takes less time to achieve a full charge.

Mayor Meaney says the Village is looking to make the foray into EV charging stations as it's become clear that the trend toward electric vehicles is going to continue to grow and Johnson City should take steps to be ahead of the game.

The choice of locations for the first charging stations took into consideration the demand for charging vehicles driven by Binghamton University students and staff at the new Pharmacy School/ Nursing College campus as well as proximity to shops along the Village Center.

The first of the new EV charging stations, if approved, may be installed shortly after the start of the new year.

Mayor Meaney did not know off-hand how much motorists would be charged to plug in their vehicles.

Also in the beginning of 2023, Meany says old metered parking on Village streets should be replaced by parking kiosks identical to the ones currently in use in parts of the City of Binghamton and Binghamton University.

While there are other brands and styles of parking meter devices available to take cash and cashless transactions, Meaney says it makes sense to go with the same version of kiosks that parkers in Binghamton and on campus are used to in order to avoid confusion.

The public hearing on the parking proposals is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. November 15 at Johnson City Village Hall.