Nick Piscitelli of the Red Bank DPW re-installs a two-hour parking sign on Hudson Avenue this morning.
Here’s the latest twist in the tug-of-war for parking between Hudson Avenue residents and employees of the nearby Broad Street post office:
The Borough of Red Bank is removing the ‘resident parking’ signs it installed after an ordinance change earlier this year and re-installing the two-hour parking signs that they replaced.
Hudson Avenue, you see, is both a resident-parking street and a two-hour zone, says Public Utilities Director Gary Watson. So if you live there and have a permit, you may park as long as you wish, he says. For all others, it’s two hours and gone or you risk a ticket.
Which could further complicate a lawsuit pending in Freehold on behalf of Tai Truong, a postal worker who says he’s been repeatedly ticketed on Hudson — not for overtime parking but for parking without a permit.
Truong’s lawyer, George ‘Bill’ McCarter, of McCarter & Higgins, contends that there’s nothing in the permit ordinance that prohibits non-permit-holders from parking on permit streets. He also contends the entire permit-parking ordinance is unconstitutional.
Watson says he’s changing the signs because of “confusion” about the rules on Hudson, and not planning to change the signs on other permit-parking streets — East Bergen Place, South Street, Brown Place, part of Branch Avenue and Tower Hill Avenue — unless a resident complains. At the moment, he says, only Hudson appears to engender confusion.
But McCarter tells redbankgreen via email that
Confusion has nothing to do with it. It’s just that non-residents don’t often park on the other streets, so he’s keeping the residents happy and not offending anyone.
We also asked borough attorney Tom Hall to comment. We’ll fold his response into this story as we get one.
Meantime, Hudson Avenue resident Lee Sanderson says it doesn’t make much difference what the signs say because there’s no enforcement of either parking rules or the speed limit. Both underlie the real concern of many homeowners, he says: the inability to safely get in and out of their driveways.
“If the borough would aggressively enforce the speed limit and the two hours, I think it would alleviate some of the issues we’re concerned about,” says Sanderson, who adds that he’s sympathetic to the plight of postal workers who have few parking options. “It’s not about us having private parking.”
Earlier this week, the borough council made it easier for residents on permit streets to obtain permits by eliminating the requirement that they prove they don’t have offstreet parking available. The requirement has apparently never been enforced.
Hey, Mr. Truong, when the 2 hours run out on Hudson, move your car on over to South St., and let's get Mr. McCarter to expand the suit. I know it's a bit of a walk, but maybe you could park on the other 3 streets with incorrect signs.
Is Mr. Watson saying that the signs have no effect on parking? If they reduce non-resident parking, it would only be because of "confusion": non-residents thought that the "residents only" signs had some basis in law and parked elsewhere.
On the plus side, now at least some of the people writing and enforcing parking laws actually know what the law says, more or less.
NJSA 39:4-207 is a state statute that I think the postal workers in Red Bank will come to like. Please see:
http://www.tickethelpline.com/lawyer-attorney-1113036.html
As you can see, the law basically exempts someone with a handicapped placard on their car from being ticketed for overtime parking for the first 24 hours.
I'm with ParkThis. Why coddle the postal workers? Unless they are somehow disabled and unable to walk a few blocks, do what ParkThis suggests and park a few blocks away. Last I checked, they were not promised free, close-in parking as part of their federal employment agreement. God knows the rest of us working stiffs don't typically get free parking either at the workplace or at commuter lots.
To wit, workers in Manhattan walk to the office all the time. They have even been known to walk–*horrors*–five to seven city blocks across town. God forbid a postal employee has to walk more than a few hundred feet to his or her job. No wonder so many Americans are overweight…we are spoiled rotten and taught to expect everything on a platter. Get some exercise already and stop complaining! You might even lose a few pounds in the bargain.
I recently retired from the postal service. My route was about 10 or 11 miles long. It was an average route. Please don't tell me walking six or seven extra blocks would have been an added bonus!
I don't know who you are Laura, but please get your facts straight
Besides the obvious humor of your position on postal workers needing to walk more, Laura, would you favor us with the location of these long-term parking situations which are just a "few blocks away"? Also, since you bring up their employment contracts, you might tell us where in the deeds to property along Hudson St. the owners are guaranteed "riparian" rights to the street.
Seriously…must you comment on everything that is posted here? It's ok to take a break once in awhile. Then when you return to post we might even be happy to read what you have to say.
I wasn't proposing any kind of fitness regimen for postal workers. I only wanted Mr. Truong to park on those other streets so that he would get ticketed. Then Mr. McCarter could go to court and get those tickets thrown out. It would help clear up the "confusion" caused by incorrect signs on the other streets.
Just a little note. Red Bank DPW is changing the signs today back to Resident Only Parking.
Its true, I just checked the signs, they have been changed again. In reality, maybe they should remove them permanently since Gary Watsons statement about enforcement is Hot Air. But don't put out the wrong kind of garbage, you will get a warning or a summons!
okay, bug the non-residents, postal workers whatever. time to get real. the average driveway in red bank may allow possibly two vehicles, however, when our guests come over there is nowhere for them to park…come over to leighton avenue and do something about the cars with out of state license plates and temporary tagged vehicles from out of state and ticket them please. our police are not doing a thing.
okay, bug the non-residents, postal workers whatever. time to get real. the average driveway in red bank may allow possibly two vehicles, however, when our guests come over there is nowhere for them to park…come over to leighton avenue and do something about the cars with out of state license plates and temporary tagged vehicles from out of state and ticket them please. our police are not doing a thing.