Village of Ridgewood Says Goodbye to Old Meters, Welcomes Flowbird Kiosks

The Village of Ridgewood, a historical town in northern New Jersey, has launched all-new smart parking kiosks in partnership with Flowbird Group. The 85 new CWT Touch kiosks replace older coin-operated single-space meters and will assist in opening up congested streets in the Downtown Business District.

The Village of Ridgewood has recently seen an increase in restaurants and shops opening in the center of town. With the growing popularity, locals and visitors have been struggling to find a convenient place to park. In response, the Village Council approved two major enhancements, a 4-level, 240 space parking garage to be built downtown, and 85 new Flowbird CWT Touch pay-by-plate parking kiosks to ease customer parking transactions. Combined, the kiosks have replaced antiquated coin-operated meters with modern user-friendly functionality, and revenues will aid in paying for the new parking garage.

Ridgewood also boasts a major transit station in the center of town, offering train services to other New Jersey towns with connections to New York City.  Flowbird kiosks are placed strategically in the station parking lots making it easy for people to pay for parking and quickly hop on their trains.

The implementation comes after a successful test period where the kiosks’ interactive touch-screen and pay-by-plate functionality proved favorable among the Village’s Council members. The new CWT kiosks are solar-powered, and have a full-color display, providing an intuitive experience that mimics the interface of today’s digital touch technology. Functioning in pay-by-plate mode, customers register for their parking session using their license plate as their unique identifier. Locals and visitors are not required to display a receipt on their dashboard, though they have the option to print a receipt or opt-in for an eco-friendly receipt via text.  Payment is conveniently accepted in coins, credit, or debit card.

Each CWT kiosk wirelessly communicates to Flowbird’s cloud-based back-office system, making it easy to monitor hardware for maintenance staff. Flowbird’s robust management system also allows for remote rate and message changes, real-time alerts, and detailed reports that allow parking services personnel to customize and filter data. The Village will not only be able to analyze parking activity trends, but it will also be able to streamline operations and increase meter uptime.

Currently, Flowbird supports over 40,000 parking pay stations for over 800 customers throughout the U.S.  This project allows the company to continue its expansion in New Jersey, joining partner cities such as Atlantic City, Bloomfield, Newark, Rahway, and Trenton with integrated Flowbird on and off-street systems.

About Flowbird

Flowbird operates in over 5,000 towns and cities in 70 countries. The company is constantly innovating and breaking new ground to help provide solutions. Its mission is to facilitate the individual journey and maximize a city’s unique mobility potential while considering all city stakeholders and end-user experiences. Through its devices, elite service platform, and teams, Flowbird enables a new era for maximizing urban harmony and value throughout the city’s core.