RED BANK PREPS FOR STORM (MOVE THOSE CARS)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

In case you haven’t heard, it’s supposed to snow this weekend. Possibly a lot.

And so, Red Bank Borough officials say, while they may have gone easy on youse in recent storms, you really, really need to move your cars off the street so the plows can do their job.

“Particularly with this storm, the enforcement is going to have to happen,” Borough Manager Jim Gant said during Thursday’s meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council, referring to the emergency on-street parking ban. “Because we’re looking at potentially a foot of snow and we need the roads clear and we need the vehicles off the roads.”

Keep reading for info on storm preparations and regulations as a serious-looking winter storm bears down on the region.

The National Weather Service’s 5 am Saturday update has predicted snowfall totals for the Red Bank area reduced slightly from earlier bread-and-milk panic-buying-inducing forecasts. But we’re still in the 8-12 inch zone on the map (see above.)

A winter storm warning and a statewide state of emergency remain in effect. And the reduction in forecast snow totals only occurred because it now looks like we may get more sleet and potentially freezing rain mixed in, which could make conditions even worse around here.

It’s all predicted to begin in the early morning hours Sunday and last into Monday morning.

As with all storms, borough emergency parking regulations ban on-street parking until the streets are clear.

For vehicle owners with no access to a driveway, borough public lots will be open for resident to move their cars to. The borough directs those looking for more info to visit the borough’s web site here.

Gant said Police Chief Mike Frazee and officers in the department have given leeway to residents during recent storms, but with potentially deep snow possible, they will need to make sure the plows can get through.

In successive storms in early 2021, police issued 254 and 123 tickets to drivers who left their cars in plow’s way.

And twice in 2018, police issued 260. During a storm in 2022, police issued just 33 tickets, citing more widespread compliance with the ban.

We haven’t had many major storms since then. So we’ll see how this one plays out.

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.

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