Who says nothing is free?

Park for free in county lots Warwick — You see them every morning turning into the county park and ride on Route 17A. They park their cars in the wee hours of the morning, some not to return until dark. They are the bus commuters. And there is some good news for them. The state Department of Transportation will now subsidize the county parking lots throughout Orange County. No more permits; no more quarters in the meters. It’s free! For the village, this is great news. Mayor Michael Newhard said he has written to County Executive Edward Diana several times asking to make the parking free. “We petitioned the county to look at making the lot free parking. This affects the village tremendously,” said Newhard. “Many commuters are parking in municipal lots and on secondary streets and catching the bus at Burger King. Hopefully, they will use the lot now and free up parking in the village.” Obviously others had made similar requests. All of the commuter lots along the Route 17 corridor are now free to drivers, including Chester, Goshen, Monroe and Central Valley. The announcement came in a letter from the county Commissioner of Public Works to permit holders in June. In it, Edmund Fares said the county would be eliminating parking permit fees at all county-operated park and ride lots. The New York State Department of Transportation, which owns the lots, agreed to pay the county for parking lot maintenance, thereby eliminating the fees. This followed the county’s decision nearly two years ago to make weekend and holiday parking free. The money saved by commuters isn’t going to make them rich — a parking permit costs $102 for the year. Meters gave you three hours for every quarter. But, hey, every little bit helps.