Some of the free parking goes back into parts of downtown Freehold, so don't drive past it.
Changes to paid parking in the town's downtown began this week – just six months after it was introduced – as local businesses' performance worsened.
Triangle, Borough Hall and Market Yard car parks offer free parking all day Sunday to Tuesday and Wednesday to Saturday from 11am to 4pm. Paid street parking remains unchanged.
Freehold switched to paid parking six months ago because restaurant owners wanted to improve customer turnover during busy times. That money goes back into downtown upkeep. That plan backfired on weekday lunchtimes, according to some business owners.
“People literally told us to our faces that they weren't going to come back and they weren't going to pay for parking,” said Keith Lewis, owner of Sweet Lew's Cafe. “Freehold has been around for 100, 200 years, free, but when they presented this to us, it didn't work. They didn't take it well, and it didn't work. .”
Customers started noticing the difference when they tried to pay at the kiosk, but all they saw was a “free parking holiday” notice.
“I'm happy because parking is free now. It was supposed to be today, all week, so I'm happy now,” said Jesus Cruz of Freehold.
“I think it's worth a try. I think we'll see a lot more people coming back here for lunch,” added Liz Rothman, who was visiting for lunch from Monroe Township.
Some restaurant owners in downtown Freehold told News 12 that paid parking works on busy Friday and Saturday nights, freeing up more space and increasing business turnover. .
Freehold Borough Mayor Kevin Cain sent this statement to News 12 explaining the changes and future plans for the parking program.
“The Borough’s Parking Management System was introduced in September 2023 after years of research, discussion and input between key stakeholders. We succeeded in freeing them.”
The statement continued, “As the system is utilized and real-time experience and data is collected, the District will continue to modify the system to meet the dynamic needs of the community. At this time, the District , we instituted temporary parking holidays to deal with a significantly lower than expected mid-winter business downturn, while we worked with stakeholders and local communities to continue developing a system that responds to changing demands on parking resources. We continue to have dialogue with business owners.”
