Commuters against permit parking plan
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

Commuters are weighing the merits of a proposed Sayreville ordinance that is up for public hearing next week that would restrict parking on some streets to the respective homeowners only.

At the Borough Council agenda meeting Tuesday, resident Linda Ricci urged officials to reconsider the ordinance, saying the overall parking situation should first be resolved.

"There is a parking dilemma in this town," Ricci said. "More and more people are moving here, and more thought needs to be put into where we can park."

The parking-permit ordinance affects sections of 26 streets, including Spruce Lane, Pinetree Drive, Locust Lane and Ernston Road. The entire lengths of Cambridge Drive, Avon Way, Devonshire Road and Nottingham Drive were recently added to the ordinance.

The commuter-parking issue was raised by Laurel Park residents about commuters who park on their streets and use a nearby Ernston Road bus stop.

While instituting permit-parking restrictions, officials hope to soon give commuters other options.

Councilman Daniel Buchanan said the borough is seeking approval from the state to add striping for commuters to park on North Ernston Road.

"We do understand the issues with the commuters," Buchanan said, adding that he is scheduling a meeting with Academy and NJ Transit soon to discuss bus routes and parking lots that can be used by commuters.

"The ordinance being discussed today will not take effect until after the park-and-ride is complete," Buchanan said.

Mayor Kennedy O'Brien mentioned that the new 3-acre parking lot being constructed on Raritan Street, for which the borough is going out to bid, will offer approximately 300 spaces for commuters. Roughly 180 of those will be for borough residents.

Borough Engineer Jay Cornell told the Suburban that the $1.2 million commuter lot was paid in part by a state grant. The costs include overhead shelters, modifications to Raritan Street access, storm-drainage improvements and landscaping.

The bids for the project are due by Oct. 31, and weather permitting, Cornell said, the project may be done by spring.

Councilman Dennis Grobelny made it clear that the commuter lot being constructed on Raritan Street is only part of the solution.

"I do not want anybody in the audience or you to feel that one commuter parking lot will solve all of the problems in town," Grobelny said, "because it is not."

O'Brien raised a concern that the governing body does not know the number of commuters who need to use the buses and what their specific needs are. He added that the ordinance only deals with a few hot spots.

"We are creating more chaos," O'Brien said.

Buchanan, a Democrat, rebutted, saying that the problem has been ongoing for the Republican mayor's entire term and he has not offered a solution.

Council President Tom Pollando said the ordinance is only a part of the overall solution for commuters.

"We do not have all of the answers," he said, "but we are all trying."

Resident and commuter Edith Fuentes addressed the council about her concerns.

"As we continue to build all of these developments, there are hundreds and hundreds of homes [and] we have to accommodate all of these people who commute to the city," Fuentes said.

Commuter Alice O'Donnell said she opposes the ordinance as it is written, adding that permits should be implemented only after the commuter lots are in place.

"I do not think that the ordinance should be passed if we cannot park on Avon Way," O'Donnell said, adding that she believes residents on that street have adequate room for parking when commuters park there.

Pollando suggested that the residents in attendance at the meeting participate at the next Commuter Advisory Board meeting.

"We are looking for some solutions," Pollando said.

Later in the meeting, the council discussed putting the ordinance up for public hearing Oct. 10. While O'Brien recommended that the council table the ordinance, it will remain on the agenda for the next regular meeting.

Resident Alida Taylor told the Suburban that she is a NJ Transit commuter who depends on residential parking.

"If an ordinance restricting parking to the general public is passed for certain designated streets, thereby instituting parking by permit only, then the permits should be open to all Sayreville residents," she said.

"There are commuters who park on certain streets that do not live in Sayreville, but the majority of the commuters live here in Sayreville. Parking permits should be opened to all Sayreville residents, and not to those who live in the nearby designated streets. Sayreville commuters pay taxes and should be afforded the same rights as those who live in the immediate designated areas until a viable solution is found to satisfy all concerned," she said.

Borough Business Administrator Jeff Bertrand told the Suburban that the borough is concerned about commuters from out of town parking on residential streets, adding that studies have confirmed that commuters from neighboring towns are using Sayreville's bus routes and parking on residential roads.

"The issue for the governing body is that there is a big difference between a residential commuter and a nonresidential commuter," Bertrand said. "Our concern is for Sayreville [resident] commuters and resident noncommuters."

While Bertrand said they have located various parking lots throughout the borough, the bus companies are reluctant to change routes since alterations have repercussions for all commuters who take the bus throughout the region. He said the borough hopes that the bus companies will consider altering routes to allow residents to use available parking lots.

"If we can accomplish that, I am very positive that we can accommodate our resident commuters," Bertrand said. "The residents do not want their neighborhoods congested and we do not want residents to be fighting with each other. We need to find common ground."