Wildwood Crest is doubling parking meter rates for summer 2027

This past August, my wife and I spent a great weekend in Wildwood Crest at the Bristol Plaza Motel.

I love the whole midcentury vibe of those old but updated motels, and some of the signs on those places are super cool.

The motel had its own parking lot. But here’s the thing: When you check out, you also check out of your parking spot.

So I found a spot on the street and paid with the ParkMobile app. The apps make it almost too easy.

In the old days, you had to get up off the beach and walk back to feed the meter if you wanted extra time. Either way, at $1.50 an hour, it seemed pretty reasonable.

So I was shocked to learn Wildwood Crest is doubling its parking rates.

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What’s changing in 2027

The Wildwood Crest Board of Commissioners adopted Ordinance No. 1500 on Nov. 3, raising the hourly meter rate from $1.50 to $3, according to the Wildwood Video Archive. It’s the first increase since 2009.

Here’s what it means for your beach day:

• 8 hours of parking: $24, up from $12
• 10 hours: $30
• Season: May 15 through Sept. 30, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The borough’s own parking information sheet had listed Sept. 15 as the end date.
• Where: Every existing metered space goes to $3. Borough officials told the Wildwood Video Archive no new spaces will get meters.

The ordinance also combines the borough’s paid parking zones into one, which makes it easier to run everything through apps like ParkMobile.

Diamond Beach said no

Wildwood Crest’s neighbor to the south went the other way this year.

In March, Lower Township approved paid parking for 160 spaces in Diamond Beach at $2.80 an hour, plus a $250 seasonal permit. Residents pushed back hard, and on May 4 the township council voted unanimously to start repealing it, as I wrote in May.

Wildwood Crest officials had urged Lower Township to reconsider. “There are already issues without parking meters,” Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera said at the time.

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The math for summer 2027

But hey, the beach in Wildwood Crest is still free. No beach tags, according to WHYY.

Meanwhile, one of my favorite free beaches is about to change. Upper Township approved beach tags for Strathmere starting next summer: $10 a day, $20 a week or $45 for the season, or $30 if you buy early, as I reported in August.

So here’s my question for summer 2027:

• Strathmere: Park free, but pay for a beach tag. That’s $20 for two of us for the day.
• Wildwood Crest: The beach is free, the way it should be, but parking for a full day runs $24.

Pretty close for a couple. Bring the whole family, and the Crest may come out ahead, since the meter costs the same no matter how many people are in the car.

I think I’ll be back at the Bristol Plaza either way. ParkMobile is just going to take a bigger bite.

The thoughts and opinions in this story are those of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Eric “EJ” Johnson.