First Selectman Seeks Feedback from Motorists on New, More Intuitive Parking Machine in Playhouse Lot Downtown

New Canaan’s highest elected official is seeking feedback through a dedicated email address on a new parking machine behind the Playhouse that could replace the confounding clunkers that long have exasperated visitors to the downtown. In place since last week, the new machine in the Playhouse Lot (up against the Outback building) features a more intuitive, color-coded touch-screen system than those long in place there, at Park Street, Morse Court, Railroad and Talmadge Hill lots, officials say. First Selectman Rob Mallozzi is encouraging any motorists with feedback on the new machines to email parkingmachine@newcanaanct.gov with their thoughts. “We have been getting, as a town—and I would say Tucker [Murphy] and myself as much as the Parking Commission, or more—a lot of complaints about the ease of use of our machines,” Mallozzi said. “We see people frustrated in parking lots, trying to figure out the machines, whether it’s that the LED is not bright enough or conflicting communications in terms of instructions, it’s not a good experience.”

A few months ago, Mallozzi and Murphy—the executive director of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce—together with the chamber’s Laura Budd, visited other Fairfield and Westchester County towns to look at their parking machines, he said.