By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
There have been many discussions on Blogfinger in recent years regarding parking. Most of the time the discussions have been about meters or about whether Neptune is following State rules regarding parking, for example for condo developers. We also have discussed the problem of Asbury vagabonds parking in the Grove to escape their meters. But, on occasion, someone will wonder why the homeowners in the Grove do not receive a reserved parking space. When this subject comes up, we usually hear that it is not feasible.
Here is our last piece on parking. You should read about it again: http://blogfinger.net/2013/02/21/parking-here-we-go-again-stirring-the-pot/
However, we have never asked this question in a poll, so we decided to do that and to frame it as asking whether one free space per building would be desirable to help alleviate the parking problems which those of us who actually live here experience.
Arguing about parking is great fun and a sport that is especially unique in this town. This poll is not scientific but some science is not scientific. What it is is (do you know what is is?) a public opinion sampling which may give an idea as to how Ocean Grove feels about this question. But don’t bet the farm on our results, and please don’t cheat by stuffing our digital ballot box and letting dead people vote or other chicanery.
MONTY PYTHON: “Decomposing Composers” (this selection has absolutely nothing to do with parking polling) Don’t forget the Choir Festival this Sunday.
Reserve the north and west side of the streets (or south and east, whatever) for residents via a sticker; even charge $100 a year for the sticker allowing maybe two stickers per resident. It would have to be a sticker that stays with the car, not a pass around mirror tag.
I live on the North End, between Lake Ave and the tenters, plus the auditorium, it is tough. Also, the North End empty lot should be opened for parking. Why isn’t it? It couldn’t be uglier than it is now!!!
On a related issue, I would like to have a plug in hybrid car (over 100 mile commute each day), I wish I could come up with some way of doing it, but can’t think of anything other than a dedicated space in front of my house, anyone think of another way? I have sent emails to the township, never got any response, not even ‘Nope!’.
On the topic of visitor parking. I’d be willing to wager that more than a few spaces along Ocean Ave are taken by residents, not tourists. Many spaces are even taken for the whole season as permanent vehicle beach lockers. They are never moved.
Offering a reserved space to residents will not significantly diminish the number of spaces, because our residents currently park somewhere in town. Sure there may be times when residents leave their space and then return, but that is a small issue—probably smaller than the current warehousing of cars in the Grove. How about passing a policy that focuses on residents instead of tourists?
Personally I am sick and tired of the fact that I get to watch a lot of people park their cars here and walk over the bridge to Asbury. At a minimum, people who live here and pay taxes should get one space.
Just pointing out that this weekend is the 60th Annual Choir Festival, which attracts about one thousand singers and thousands of audience members. Many if not most of the participants are visitors and probably wish to park somewhere.
My wife sings in the OG choir, and my daughter plays in the OG Summer Band.
If parking became even more of a hassle for visitors, I suspect you’d lose some — maybe not a huge number but you’d certainly see a loss at the margins.
It should be interesting to see if discouraging musicians, churchgoers and beachgoers from visiting to make parking easier for residents will enhance the overall quality of life.
(The only time in recent memory that I have been unable to find a parking space in OG was during the Fourth of July parade in 2013, when I drove over for my daily 5k, but stupidly didn’t check the calendar first. I did easily find a parking space in Bradley Beach.)
Metered parking with residential permits are needed…only during the season. Parking officials also should change where large trucks and large SUV’s park—- some streets can’t handle them, creating a hazard on some streets if, God forbid, there was ever a fire.
What ever happened to the push for smaller vehicles? It seems like OG attracts the largest of the large. The lot in the North End should be opened for parking with the same fee they charge in Asbury Park—-Make a deal with the developers, at least until development begins.
Stop putting your heads in the sand and thinking it is as it always was, because it is not. It gets worse and worse every year, and our TAXES keep going up and up.
What about the home owners who don’t rent their houses? Too many owners are using their homes lately as cash cows, while the people who don’t suffer for it. I visited the web site “Our Town Rentals.” Is anyone’s house not for rent in Ocean Grove?
OK, come at me, folks. During the season, Metered or time limited parking along Ocean Ave. 2 resident parking permits per household. Commercial vehicle parking in the business area only.
Resident parking only North of Main and West of Pilgrim Pathway. Very short, very narrow one way streets in that area plus at least 4 potential spaces lost to necessary fire lanes at all the corners. Plus, half the length of Asbury Ave is a fire lane on the South side and there are fire breaks on the North side at every intersection. Oh, it changes direction midway, too. On top of that, all E/W streets dead end at either the Auditorium area or Founder’s Park. The tenters are in full occupancy now with at least two vehicles per household, parking is at a premium.
Until something is ACTUALLY done in the North End open it up for Weekend and Event parking. Even charge fees if you want to park there. Won’t happen because it appears to be reserved for dumpsters only, evidently.
I have seen several posts on Face Book where the posters actually encourage Asbury Park meter scoffers and those complaining about the ‘Draconian’ parking ticket policy there to ‘just park in O G, it’s free!’. Many do this already during the week. Far more than you could imagine.