By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
At the June 13, 2016 Township Committee meeting, there was this item in the minutes about a man who went to the microphone for his 5 minutes in front of the Town fourfathers and one mother:
“Ray DeFaria, 12 New York Avenue, applauded the Committee for their thoroughness in addressing some issues with the parking. He stated Ocean Grove’s history is a Christian retreat and people come from all over and it is buyer beware when you come in.
“He stated people come in to worship and it is a form of discrimination if you are going to charge people to come in to church. He stated the impact in Ocean Grove is minimal and the composite of Ocean Grove has changed and everyone has cars. He stated there should be planning when contemplating moving into Ocean Grove.”
Editor’s note: It isn’t exactly clear as to what Ray is saying, but it does illustrate that his is one of a number of factions in town which have their own unique agendas regarding parking. That, of course, will complicate the work of the new Parking Task Force which has members from the CMA, the Police Dept, the Township Comedy, the Engineering Dept., the Chamber of Commercials, The Home Groaners Assoc., and the public at large (no reference to the overweight.)
This past July 4 and during Bridgefest, we had a state of crowding where every available parking space in town seemed to be taken. Only someone leaving to go to the hospital with a cardiac arrest would have moved their car. Prospective parkers were driving around aimlessly, wild-eyed, and with a high degree of frustration.
You may recall that last year, the mayor of Belmar had to close his town during a seafood festival because of traffic overload. This is what he said, “They would have come into town driving their car with no place to park, no place really to drive and they probably would not have made either the beach or the seafood festival anyway,” he told NBC 4 New York. Sound familiar?
Well now we know that Ocean Grove sometimes reaches capacity, and it often comes close. And when that happens, the lives of those who live here are adversely affected.
So the current idea that we can solve the parking problems in Ocean Grove by appointing a task force which will try to re-shuffle the deck in a variety of ways, will not work, especially whenever the number of cars becomes nearly the same as the number of spaces, and that is not unusual. And even if there are enough spaces for each car wanting to park, the sheer aggravation and stress of trying to find a space is toxic to the lifestyles of residents in the Grove. And even if it is just on weekends from May through October, that is a substantial per cent of the time when residents have to wrestle with parking issues.
This is what an OG nurse had to say yesterday: “When I work 14 hours I am not happy about leaving my car at the hospital and paying for a cab home, let alone watching my 91 year old neighbor who leaves to visit his wife at Manor by the Sea and ends up walking home with his walker. As a native born Grover, I don’t expect a space in front of my house, but the cars and occupancy now associated with summer rentals have gotten out of control.”
As much as I, a homeowner, want a reserved space sticker, that plan will cause the number of spaces for those without stickers to decline. If renters are given stickers, as some have suggested, that plan will be hopeless. If we remove dumpsters and pods, it will create a trivial number of extra spaces.
And trying to reduce demand by closing the bridges to AP will not help; nor will parking meters. Hiring a parking engineer won’t work because he has nothing to work with.
So, we have a fixed number of spaces, and according to the laws of physics, two cars cannot occupy the same space at the same time. On top of that, Ocean Grove is becoming more popular each year, so the numbers of cars continue to rise, and unlike other popular Shore towns, we cannot seek refuge in our garages and driveways, so it is tougher here.
Therefore, given the conflicting factions and the near capacity parking availability, the Task Force is essentially doomed in its mission except for some cosmetic changes, and they might as well return to their usual state of denial regarding the real causes of the mess.
The inevitable conclusion is that we now need a new paradigm for the town of Ocean Grove.
The solution is to recognize that we have reached a turning point in this town: supersaturation —-more cars than spaces. Even though that state doesn’t always exist, parking difficulties happen often enough to cause distress for residents and it is always hanging over our heads like a black cloud that comes and goes. Something extraordinary needs to be done instead of the usual talk therapy:
Mayor McMillan should immediately declare that all future attempts to increase density will be rejected out of hand, and that we will never allow another condominium (such as #60 Main Avenue) or Mary’s-sort-of-Place to be built here without off-street parking, something which we can’t have, so just re-zone the entire town to single family Victorian houses, with no exceptions, except for the North End which should be re-zoned for a public park. Since the CMA has waited too long and dithered mindlessly for years, to the detriment of the town, now the zoning should say that they can only have a park. Maybe Green Acres will pay for it. It is the will of the people who pay the taxes and who live here.
Since we will not have any new parking spaces, count the number of current spaces in the Grove, post traffic directors at the two entrances, and only allow that number in, minus 300 for wiggle room, with residents and their friends having priority. Make the rest wait in a line until a space opens up. This will help the lifestyles of those who actually live in this town by creating some breathing room. And we should give a discount on beach badges to anyone who walks or bikes into the Grove.
It won’t work? OK, use the idea of supersaturation (too many cars) and come up with something else that recognizes the law of supply and demand and places the residents of the Grove at the top of the priority list.
If parking lots are offered at nearby schools on weekends and then tourists get bused into town, each of those will pay for parking. This will ease the car numbers to some extent.
And then we should allow only three mega-events per year because most of those smother and devour the town—taking much without giving much back. There would be one flea market and a craft market. The CMA has control over the number of mega-events on the Pathway.
The third mega-event which must be allowed is the 4th of July parade. That is the only huge event in OG which is for everyone—it brings happiness, laughter, entertainment, culture, knowledge, cheers for volunteers, and a grand sense of community for all. It is a gift which keeps on giving. We will suffer with the parking for July 4, but buses and out of town parking must be provided.
All other mega-events should be disqualified for bringing nothing to town other than self interest and smothering crowds of cars and people. The CMA’s large events like Bridgefest are special cases and must be considered separately.
And as for Ray DeFaria’s plea, we all have our favorite causes, and if the Grove ever has pay-to- park, then it would be discriminatory to charge some but not charge others.
So we must, as stated before, ask the question, “Whom is the town for?” Let the discussion begin.
BOBBY DARIN
“Somewhere beyond the sea
She’s there watching for me
If I could fly like birds on high
Then straight to her arms
I’d go sailing…..because I can’t give up my parking spot in Ocean Grove.”
We were in Point Pleasant Beach a couple of weeks ago. The have a pretty good solution that might help some. Residents get permits, resident only parking from like 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. We could make it from 9:30 or 10:00 pm, this would NOT be a problem for any activities in OG (concerts and services let out before that), but would get rid of the warehoused cars and free parker’s from AP. There would be some cost (signs, stickers for cars), but that would probably be covered by tickets from offenders.
Reblogged this on Blogfinger and commented:
For our readers who want to hear more about parking, this 2016 article sums up a lot of it. ——Paul@Blogfinger.net
Paulie D. I did not say that resident permits “would not solve the parking problem.” I said that they would reduce the number of spaces for those without permits.
To me, the parking situation is not just about numbers–it is about the lifestyles of the not-so-rich-and-famous who live in this town that some readers have called “quaint” and “sweet.”
I don’t care that resident permits won’t help the numbers–I care about the residents who live here and how to give them a true small-town America experience. Resident permits will offer a small dose of at-home comfort for people who are often ignored in Ocean Grove. —Paulie G.
Blogman, I have been egalitarian in my views of treating visitors and residents alike. In a recent post you opined that as much as you would like to have resident permits it would not solve the parking problem.
Kudos to you for softening your stance on resident-only permits. One can slice and dice the issue many ways but none will be result in substantially more spots. Focusing on micro issues such as dumpsters, striping parking spots etc. is just noise.
One thing that should be proscribed is parking commercial vehicles in Ocean Grove when not on business. The signage on many vehicles is essentially an advertisement that is not in keeping with the historic tone of Ocean Grove.
“Ray DeFaria, 12 New York Avenue, applauded the Committee for their thoroughness in addressing some issues with the parking. He stated Ocean Grove’s history is a Christian retreat and people come from all over and it is buyer beware when you come in.
“He stated people come in to worship and it is a form of discrimination if you are going to charge people to come in to church. He stated the impact in Ocean Grove is minimal and the composite of Ocean Grove has changed and everyone has cars. He stated there should be planning when contemplating moving into Ocean Grove.”
A couple of responses to Mr DeFaria’s statements: No one is suggesting charging anyone to attend religious services, rather they are suggesting charging for parking- two very different things so I don’t see how this can be construed as discrimination of any type.
As an Ocean Pathway homeowner, on Sunday mornings, I see people in swim suits with beach chairs parking and walking towards the beach not towards the Great Auditorium to attend services.
With regard to “Planning when contemplating moving to Ocean Grove”, please be aware that the parking problems have escalated drastically within the past 3-5 years, especially as Asbury Park visitors have increased. For many of us, our residency and homeownership predates that by many years and generations…
Sorry to come in to the discussion so late.
This year I purchased a OG season beach badge, not so that I could use the beach, but so that I could use the the south parking lot.
Bradley Beach charges $1.50/hour for their beach parking. (The paid parking seems to be limited to the beach lots and the diagonal parking adjacent to the beach lots. But people seem willing to pay for the convenience.)
If one drives to the beach to walk or jog 5 x week — the OG seasonal beach pass is less expensive than the Bradley Beach paid parking. So far, so good, and for the OG south lot I’ve needed to wait once for 5 minutes for a parking space to become available. I don’t go to the beach on Saturday — that would be hopeless, but on the 5 week days and Sunday morning, there are usually plenty of spaces. The other advantage of OG beach parking over Bradley Beach is that flashing the OG beach badge is quicker than using a parking meter.
To the north, Asbury Park uses metered parking and parking permits for their high demand areas. From what I can see from their website, they may issue up to 4 permits per resident.
Asbury Park also issues parking permits to employees and business owners. Their M-F 5-day parking card costs $10/month and their 7-day card costs $15/month. By my math it looks like at least some of the high demand for parking on the north side of OG is from employees working in Asbury Park who are parking in OG to save $0.50/day.
Some problems don’t have solutions and parking in a town that was planned before motor vehicles were invented is probably one of them.
However, a combination of zoned parking with parking permits and meters — as Asbury Park does — might relieve some of the strain.
The hours when the beach is open and when the Asbury Park bars are open during the 13 week summer season would seem to present the highest parking demand in those areas.
There could be free parking, during the hours when the beach is closed, particularly in the area of the Great Auditorium on Sunday morning .
My own suggestion would be to use meters and permits in the beach areas during the hours in the beach area during the hours when the beach is open and in the north area during the hours when the bars are open. OG is giving away a valuable commodity that both adjacent towns charge money for, so of course there is going to be a high demand.
The 91 year old in question is too proud to ask for a handicapped space – so he struggles along wherever he can park
To all those wanting “resident stickers” – Do you not understand that this sticker will not guarantee you a space in front of your house?
And what about multi-unit houses? And what about year-round renters? You may think a “sticker” guarantees you a space in front of your house, but two stickers for the house next to you or down the block will push the parking spot(s) away from your house and then multiply it by the number of houses on your block. And how do you keep day visitors away from your personal spot?
The only solution is to close the gates when town is saturated. There is no accommodation for handicapped people and there certainly aren’t enough spots for those who were invited to events and troll and troll, only to become more angry and upset.
Please don’t misunderstand my comment as meaning that once we solve the problem for the 91-year-old we are done. I was concerned that he was not aware there was a simple solution for him.
For the rest of the town, of course, we face a more complex problem with no such simple solution. I agree with you, Paul, on the basic issue — we should not permit any more increase in population density in the Grove, and the only tool we have now is to strictly adhere to our existing HPC, zoning, and state RSIS regulations. No condo conversions, single family homes only, no new buildings over 2.5 stories, adequate parking for the number of bedrooms in any new building.
The only exception I’d make to current zoning laws is to allow the Camp Meeting to construct and run a parking lot at the north end.
Where we may disagree is on how to manage the cars we already have parking on our street. None of the proposals I’ve seen make me happy, and I fear some of them may make the problem worse.
Dr. Carol: This post is not about what to do for that elderly man. It is about recognizing that Ocean Grove is a town which is home to a variety of people, many of whom are pained and limited by the crowds and the parking problems.
Our census population of citizens whose home is mainly here, and that is about 3,500 individuals, represents a relatively substantial demographic. And there are many more who live here part-time and are also Grovers. And we have renters who are also Grovers, so how many thousands is that? Why is that group consistently ignored by Neptune Township and by our so-called representatives, i.e. the Home Groaners Assoc.
We have special interests here, and the Township and the HOA pay attention to them—-particularly the developers, the Neptunites, and the CMA.
The Ocean is a given. All Shore towns attract tourists to their beaches in the summer, but this town is potentially more than that, and that is why I chose to live here; but now, it is trending in the wrong direction as it ignores its own residents and tax payers.
Check our comments and read Jack Bredin’s July 11 Letter to the Editor, to see that the parking problems represent deeper concerns. Someone needs to start a new organization of residents which will exert pressure representing a membership of thousands.
The 91-year-old who has to use a walker to visit his wife has a simpler solution — just petition for a handicap space in front of his house. If he is disabled and his doctor will attest to that, Neptune will approve the space.
Here the parking solution for 2016……………..Just 8 more weeks to Labor day and problem solved for another year.
2 comments towards a parking problem solution
1. I agree the time has come to limit festivals, town-wide yard sales, art shows etc. in town as they have outlived their purpose of promoting OG.
It worked. The shows attracted thousands to a town that needed new blood and tourism. Now OG is a victim of that success. It gets nothing positive from the tired display of the same merchandise you can see at any other town’s “art festival”.
2. Why hasn’t OGCMA built more beach storage units? There certainly is enough space. They make money. And they, in a small way, diminish parking congestion by reducing the need for residents to drive to beach?
I am also a member of the Blogfinger staff.
I agree. I think Wisher is on to something. Two stickers per household. Stripe parking spaces so people don’t create unusable wasted space trying to “save” spots for friends.
And use gated entrances to grant paid admission / parking passes for visitors. Or if people don’t like the gate idea make the entire town paid parking, but with resident permits you can still park for free.
Also if there is land in Neptune for lots, I know I would be more than happy to drive and pickup / shuttle my house guests offsite as long as I knew I would be able to have a spot when I returned.
Don’t think this is an insurmountable issue, maybe for you incompetent government officials, but get a few intelligent engineers together and problem solved (or greatly improved).
Wisher is really onto something good. He has an idea that needs to get ironed out: Residents get parking permits/stickers for windshields—-2 per house.
This will allow all residents to park in front of their own home.
Visitors receive temporary parking tags for the day/weekend/week – to be placed on their dashboard. The only available parking spaces visitors are permitted to use would be within the parking lots on the South End and the North End and also along Ocean, Main, and the east end of Broadway (next to medians).
Hopeful said, “We apparently can’t stop the CMA from allowing condos being built because the CMA gains from these condos being built.”
While the CMA certainly benefits from condos, it’s not their decision whether to allow them or not. Their silence on the issue and their support for the North End plan speaks volumes. – I believe that they care mostly about their “mission” not OG residents or the character of the historic district.
But, at the end of the day, it’s up to the HPC, Zoning Board, and Planning Board whether or not they want to allow the variances required to build high density projects, which are pretty much not allowed anywhere in the historic district – without said variance – per the master plan/land use regulations.
What they do at college campuses, we can certainly do here. We should think of this as a campus. It is a private property, right?
Permit parking only. Visitor parking available. If you want to visit town, you can get a one-day visitor’s pass. No one without a permit sticker or visor sign can park overnight. The details over how visitor’s are handled can be worked out. But this should be like a college campus, not a free-for-all.
Get Mr. James A. Bradley and Reverend Stokes permission to fill in Fletcher Lake for good now and convert it into, you guessed it, Fletcher Parking Facility. The perfect location. All parking fees would go to Bradley Beach and Ocean Grove. Why didn’t I think of this last century?
You could try the Sandy Hook method of parking control. Up on the Hook when they reach maximum parking occupancy, they just close the entrance to everyone.
If A P issued parking passes to the employees of their businesses such as restaurant workers it might actually be of help.
Hopeful: Don’t take my suggestion of traffic monitors at the gates too seriously, but controlling the inbound traffic in some way may be needed at certain times, as they tried to do in Belmar.
The amount of these events in OG will never decrease and will only increase. The CMA is making money from these events. THE CMA would never consider this suggestion when these events are financially feeding their mission.
Traffic directors at the two entrances is more of a headache for the residents than not. Don’t forget there are other ways to get in to the Grove also (on the far South end, near Bradley Beach.) Will there then be guards over there as well?
Not a bad idea to give discounts to walkers or bikers coming into the town…but how can their mode of transportation be determined, when buying their beach passes?
If the bridges (into and out of AP) close, then that effects us OG Residents. Some of us residents enjoy the walk back from AP on a Saturday night out and if the bridges are closed, then that effects our way of life. I enjoy taking that beautiful walk back through the bridge, that leads me to my home a couple of blocks away.
Why should a few clowns getting their parked cars be the determining factor in closing the bridges and taking away the Residents happy way of life. Even if the bridges were closed, there are other simple ways for these same ‘clowns’ to still get into and out of the town – for their free parking.
We have to tackle the root of the problem which is that there is not enough parking. We apparently can’t stop the CMA from allowing condos being built because the CMA gains from these condos being built. So, if we can’t stop the condos from being built, then we must demand that they create the parking needed to provide for its occupants. If it were only this easy…
It must make the Grove an enormous amount of spending money to host these events at any time of year.
Great commentary.
OG has way too many events for folks from outside the area that could care less about OG. Witness any weekend night year round where these clowns….male & female….do disgusting things after a night of drinking as they come across the bridge from AP to OG to find their cars. Indiscriminately setting off the horn to find their cars at 2 or 3 AM is real fun.
The Auditorium, though beautiful, is the place where “has-been” entertainers come for a last ride. Witness the sparse crowds for these “concerts” .
Using the fellowship card is underhanded and a fallacy.