Notices have been left in recent weeks on cars parked on streets covered by permit rules, including Broad Street in the vicinity of the post office, above.
Red Bank’s Parking Utility is putting motorists on notice: lax or non-existent enforcement of two-hour limits is about to end.
In recent weeks, department employees have been leafletting parked cars to let drivers know they’ll need to get residential parking permits to avoid $38 overtime parking tickets.
Permits issued before January 1 of this year are no longer valid. Replacements, which are free, expire at the end of 2011, no matter when they are issued. Up to three permits per household are allowed, and proof of residency is required.
The affected zones are in areas along and near Broad Street, Shrewsbury and Leighton Avenues, Bridge Avenue, South Street, Hudson Avenue and elsewhere.
Utility acting director Gary Watson says the new permits are part of an effort to end recordkeeping disarray and to clear the way for better enforcement, which he says residents have been insisting on.
For years, the organization of Red Bank’s resident permit parking system has been “a fiasco,” says Watson.
Under his predecessors in the job, permits were given out without any expiration date.
Last year, Watson says, he had to halt enforcement in non-metered parking zones with two-hour limits for fear of ticketing residents
or their guests. The new permits and warnings will systematize permit records and clear the way for enforcement to resume, he says.
To those who might contend the changes are aimed at boosting borough revenue, Watson says, “It’s not about that.
“I get complaints about cars parked on the street all day long,” he says. “People are coming in [to the utility’s 75 Chestnut Street office] saying they’re pleased that we’re doing the enforcement. They’re coming in and thanking us.”
Ticketing was scheduled to begin on Broad Street near the post
office yesterday, according to orange notices left on cars last week.
From the parking utility’s 2009 newsletter:
RESIDENTIAL PARKING PERMITS:
Residents in eligible areas can obtain parking permits that exempt them from time limit restrictions on
posted streets. These permits assist residents in finding parking spaces near their home, enhancing quality of
life in residential areas with insufficient on-street parking.Eligibility:
To be eligible for a Residential Parking Permit, your vehicle must display New Jersey license plates and be
registered to your home address. In addition to your vehicle registration, you must provide the Parking Utility
with proof of residence in the form of your driver’s license, lease, or a recent utility bill in you name.Contractor Permit Rates: $100.00 for a 30-day per meter permit
Here’s the full parking newsletter: Download 2009-PARKING-NEWSLETTER
