300-space lot almost ready for commuters BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - The borough will soon open its new 300-space commuter parking lot. On Monday the Borough Council introduced an ordinance establishing fees with the issuance of parking permits in Sayreville at their latest meeting Monday. Commuters will pay $30 a month or $4 per day to use the lot. The lot, which is on Raritan Street behind the Dunkin' Donuts and adjacent to an access ramp for the Garden State Parkway, has 300 parking spaces, of which 180 will be strictly for Sayreville residents. Council President Thomas Pollando told Greater Media Newspapers that with the striping of permit parking spaces on North Ernston Road and the additional spaces opened to Sayreville residents at an Old Bridge commuter lot, more than 500 spaces will be available to commuters. Borough Business Administrator Jeffry Bertrand said the commuter lot is not open yet due to a delay in the shipping of a machine that will issue daily permits for riders. The machine was anticipated to arrive this week, but was delayed by two weeks. He added that the borough is making provisions for those who have already paid for the service at the lot. NJ Transit and Academy Bus Inc. changed their routes to accommodate the construction of the commuter lot, according to Pollando. "We are working with both [companies] to look at other pickup areas," Pollando said. "… We want to see what happens first and hold off until everything is in place. Once it's in place, we will meet with the bus lines and ask them to pick up other spots or eliminate [pickup areas]." The bus companies have safety personnel riding through the new route in preparation for the opening of the lot to ensure that the paths are safe, Bertrand said. The objective of the $1.6 million parking lot was to bring commuter parking to Sayreville, a borough that has had complaints from residents and commuters alike about parking problems. The New Jersey Department of Transportation provided $300,000 for the project and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority gave $500,000. The borough paid about $800,000, or half the cost of the project. This money will be regenerated through fees for use of the parking lot, and a private company will pay for the maintenance of the lot, Pollando said. "The borough won't need to take care of that piece of property," Pollando said. The commuter lot will give commuters an alternative to parking on residential streets, a contentious issue that was brought up at several Borough Council meetings in 2006. In response to the concerns of residents over commuters parking on their neighborhood streets, the council approved an ordinance last year requiring permits on more than two dozen residential roads that are near bus stops. Officials are hopeful that the commuter lot will improve conditions for both residents affected by nearby bus stops and bus riders in the borough. "I think it's great for Sayreville," Pollando said. "Hopefully it will alleviate some of the traffic congestion. It takes cars off the streets in front of the housing. It is something that is long overdue."