Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt (R,I,C-Greenwood Lake) is blasting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), MetroNorth, and their subcontractor LAZ Parking for imposing parking fee increases in nine area MetroNorth station parking lots.
“It is outrageous,” said Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt, who has been a vocal critic of the MTA and the various forms of increased costs the much-maligned authority has put upon Orange and Rockland residents. “With recent service cuts, fare hikes, the payroll tax, and now parking lot fee increases, it is almost as if the MTA wants Hudson Valley residents to stop using mass transportation. If it weren’t for the environmental impact, I would be encouraging all riders to boycott MTA services until our counties receive fair voting power on the MTA board and are treated in a manner that encourages the use of mass transit: i.e. better service, reduced costs, and, once and for all, full repeal of the payroll tax.”
Out of the dozen MetroNorth stations in Orange and Rockland counties, nine station parking lots are owned and operated by LAZ Parking, a subsidiary contractor of the MTA. According to LAZ Parking’s website, the company is instituting a new fee increase for their parking lots beginning September 1, 2013. The new rates will be emailed or mailed to parking permit customers, and those who park via meter should be aware of signs that will be posted at the parking lot pay station.
LAZ Parking is a national company that owns and operates parking lots throughout the Hudson Valley. In Orange and Rockland counties they own and operate parking lots at the following stations: Harriman, Salisbury Mills-Cornwall, Campbell Hall, Middletown/Wallkill, Otisville, Port Jervis, Spring Valley, Nanuet, and Pearl River. The remaining three stations’ parking lots (Suffern, Sloatsburg and Tuxedo) are owned and operated by local governments. These three stations are not facing parking lot fee increases.
Customers with more detailed questions or concerns about the parking lot fee increases should contact LAZ Parking by calling 1-888-682-PARK or visiting their website at www.rrparking.com.
Assemblywoman Rabbitt added, “We will be fighting this. I will not stop fighting until Orange and Rockland are treated more decently by the MTA and its subsidiaries, and services are made more affordable for commuters, residents and employers.”