To the Editor:
Spring is bringing long awaited changes to our town. Birds, flowers, smiles, conversation and unfortunately Asbury Park bar hoppers and their cars. Free parking is a great attraction. Imagine how crowded our beach would be if there was no fee.
Here’s a few thoughts. Parking kiosks installed at “problem areas”. My thought is the first two beach blocks, the North End, Broadway and the Main St. shopping blocks. Residents will be able to buy, reasonably, a Neptune pass sticker. A second sticker would cost double.
This is an necessary evil. With more development planned for Asbury Park’s South End and our own North End, this issue will get much worse. I live in the North End; it’s bad now.
Davis
April 29, 2015
Ocean Grove, NJ
KISS ME KATE:
I quite honestly don’t want to pay for parking. I am sure Neptune would have to hire two more people with benefits and a pension plan to administer the program. I already pay enough to Neptune.
Perhaps we should limit the number of people who can stay in a two bedroom summer rental house. I know on my street, one 2-bedroom summer rental can easily translate to 7 or 8 people living there – a majority of which come with their own cars.
Until then, I’ll do what I always end up doing when I come home from work – park outside of town.
Simon. You have hit on a problem which has concerned me with respect to Blogfinger. We can complain all we want, for example about the North End, but if our elected officials pay no attention to our concerns, then how is our democracy to work? Their department heads at the Neptune fortress may refuse to talk to a citizen, which has happened to me. Their Committee meetings are carefully choreographed to discourage interaction with citizens, and if you get up to speak at a meeting, they barely respond, if at all, to what you say, and they may actually get a cop to force you to sit down.
There used to be a State ombudsmen, but no more. What to do? Vote for somebody else at the next election and come out in force for important meetings. But also we need a citizen organization with courage and forcefulness. The HOA is a tool of the CMA and Neptune. They should have insisted that the entire NERP be junked, instead of providing assistance in getting it done. Who appointed them to represent the people of Ocean Grove?
1. This has been said before but, I’ll state it again. The North End lot that is just sitting there year after year, why not charge $10.00/day for people to park; the town makes money and everybody wins. Do this just until someday when they do decide to rebuild the North End.
2. For the amount of taxes we all pay, give one parking spot for every home. This has also been said many times before with no results. We all state our opinion, go to all kinds of meeting, talk to everyone that is anyone, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT JUST SEEMS HOPELESS.
On January 2015, I received this response back from Neptune Twnsp concerning my parking idea.
Joel,
The Township Committee routinely receives a number of ideas and proposals regarding the parking situation in Ocean Grove. They constantly reivew and discuss these suggestions to make improvements and while your idea was considered, the Committee is not interested in implementing permit parking for any portion of Ocean Grove or the Township.
Thanks
Rick Cuttrell
Here is the idea I sent the Mayor: “These parking laws would only be in effect summer months. Residents be given parking permits displayed on their vehicles one permit per resident address and all B & B residents included.
“Allowing residents a chance to park their vehicles on the west and north sides of the streets between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm Monday through Friday. (Once residents have parked there they can stay there as long as they wish.)
“Non-residents would have to move their vehicles before 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm allowing residents a chance to park at least two hours out of the day Monday thru Friday. All other hours of the day and Saturday and Sunday would be free game to everyone parking whereever they want.
“Main Ave business district and Ocean Ave would be excluded from this parking ordinance, and parking there would remain the same as it is now.”
—Joel
Actually New Kid when I moved here in 1997 parking was not a problem. However, “where we live” is evolving and we need to evolve as well. I don’t believe that Resident Parking Passes should cost much, but I doubt Neptune would ever start and enforce such a program without some nominal registration fee. The last 2 summers were pretty difficult here on the North End.
By the way, Welcome!!
This Northender disagrees. A permanent parking space for residents will not help and only add to the already high cost of living at a shore town. A few individuals who park in OG and walk to AP is not the problem. It’s just where we live.
I have noticed for the past two months ( I live on the north side of town), groups of people parking near my house & proceed to walk towards Asbury. I can just image what the parking problems will be once the weather warms up!
I really believe that each home owner in the Grove should get one permanent parking space. It won’t eliminate the parking issue, but it would help Ocean Grovers with “parking stress”.
Penny