BETHANY BEACH, Del.-Â The meters are on and ready to go for beachgoers and customers.
The start of the meter season is usually associated with the beginning of a busy time for beach towns and the hope is many people will be down to Bethany.
Mayor Rosemary Hardiman says there have been positive signs of a rebound.
"The rentals are up and it looks like a strong rental season through the fall," Hardiman said. "And I think businesses from what I have seen the past couple of weeks even all through the winter, the crowds keep getting more and more so we are looking at a good summer this year."
It is $2.50 per hour to park your car. Garfield Parkway is the only street where parking time is limited. You may not stay in the spot for over two hours. The neighboring streets do not have limits.Â
Bethany Beach is Bill Connor's second favorite beach in the country. He enjoys the offseason when parking is free but knows the town needs the money to accomplish other things.
"The town essentially runs on the revenue from the meters and they pour a good part of that money right back into the beach," Connor said. "And they have done things here that are just phenomenal."
There are three ways that you can pay for parking. You can feed the meter by swiping a card or using change. Or you can use the ParkMobile app on your smartphone by simply putting in the zone number and pay for however much time you are staying for.
You will also see yellow fifteen minute signs by restaurants. Those are free to use for customers picking up to go orders. General Manager of Bethany Blues Rory Baldini says there is still a need for those spots.
"It's nice to have a couple of spots out there not only for our delivery service that we started last year, but just to try and recoup the business not being here in-house but for guests to do curbside pickup here in Bethany," Baldini said.
The meters will run until September 15. People who are handicapped and service vehicles are not exempt from paying to park.