O.B. to give Sayreville commuter parking spots Parking would be for borough residents only BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer Old Bridge may soon make 70 parking spaces available for use by Sayreville residents at a Route 9 commuter lot. The Sayreville Borough Council last week announced a potential agreement between the two towns to have spaces devoted to Sayreville residents at the Old Bridge Park & Ride facility on the southbound side of Route 9 near Home Depot. Old Bridge Mayor Jim Phillips told the Suburban that the Township Council has to approve an ordinance before the interlocal agreement can be made. He said the parking would be designated for Sayreville residents until such time that Old Bridge township feels it is necessary for township residents. "We are just trying to be a good neighbor," Phillips said. Old Bridge is leasing 145 parking spaces in the area of Home Depot, and the parking became available to township residents on July 9. "With 145 spaces, we just didn't see the need [for all of them]," Phillips said. "We are monitoring our parking situation closely." David Merwin, manager of parking facilities in Old Bridge, told the Suburban that there are over 1,200 parking spaces in various park-and-ride lots in the township. He advised Old Bridge commuters to sign up for the township's e-mail list for alerts on parking at www.ob.com "The mayor has made commuter parking a priority in his administration," Merwin said. Sayreville's Commuter Parking Advisory Board is seeking estimates on the number of people in the borough who commute to work by bus every day, Borough Business Administrator Jeffry Bertrand told the Suburban. At present, they believe that at least 250 Sayreville residents take Academy or NJ Transit buses to work. Councilman Daniel Buchanan said there are roughly 1,000 commuters who use buses in the borough, including those who come from out of town and park in Sayreville. "My goal is to accommodate all of our commuters," Buchanan said. "We have a community now that has a lot of commuters." Last year, Sayreville commuters raised concerns about the parking situation, saying that more spaces were needed for Sayreville's growing commuter population. Residents who live near bus stops complained that commuters were parking along their streets and walking to the bus stops. The municipality responded by restricting parking on sections of 26 streets that are near bus stops, including Ernston Road, Avon Way, Locust Lane, Spruce Lane, Pinetree Drive and Devonshire Road. The borough also moved forward with a 3-acre parking lot off Raritan Street that will provide 290 parking spaces, 60 percent of which will be for borough residents. That parking lot is anticipated for completion by next month, according to Bertrand, who said issues related to the weather, change orders, irrigation and landscaping have delayed the project slightly. The borough is taking quotes from potential managers of the Raritan Street commuter lot, Bertrand said, and he expects to have management selected for the Borough Council's approval by early August. Regarding the 70-space parking lot at the Old Bridge Park & Ride, which is already constructed, Bertrand said Sayreville residents would pay the same rates that Old Bridge residents are charged to use the lot. "Sayreville [would] see no money out of it," Bertrand said. "The spaces [would be] designated as reserved for Sayreville in that whole section." The borough will accept applications from residents for the parking spaces if the agreement is reached, Bertrand said. He added that the striping of more than 200 parking spaces along North Ernston Road is expected shortly, since the state granted the borough approval to move forward with that work. Buchanan noted that the opening of the VFW parking lot on Jernee Mill Road provides an option for Academy bus users, but the lot is not being used to the fullest extent. Sayreville Borough Council President Thomas Pollando said officials are working with the Old Bridge mayor to share the new commuter parking lot on Raritan Street, which he added will help to relieve congestion on overcrowded residential streets in the borough. "There are many residents who travel to New York City and northern New Jersey each day for work," Pollando said. Residents can apply for their parking permit at Sayreville Borough Hall. The cost is expected to be $25 per year for the parking permit fee and then $1 per day to park. State Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski (D-19), who is chairman of the Sayreville Democratic Organization, lauded the idea of opening the Old Bridge Park & Ride lot to Sayreville commuters. "For some of the many Sayreville residents who commute into New York City every day, this new park-and-ride lot will make their lives a little bit easier," Wisniewski said. "We have been looking for ways to move commuter vehicles out of residential areas, and this lot, in conjunction with the new Sayreville Park and Ride will help us do just that." Mayor Kennedy O'Brien told the Suburban that the additional parking would help in light of Sayreville's growing need for commuter parking. "I want to thank Mayor Phillips for sharing some of these spaces with our residents," O'Brien said.