Main Avenue, near the beach. Ocean Grove. 8/10/16 Blogfinger photo. ©
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @blogfinger
We checked with the NTPD traffic division. A new ordinance bans dumpsters and Pod boxes from 3:00 pm Friday to 8:00 am Monday.
Regarding using motor scooters to save parking spaces, that is going on. You can get a used motor scooter for $200.00 and use it to save your space when you run out for a dozen eggs. This way you can always have the space in front of your house. When you return from the store, just stash the scooter somewhere on your property until it is needed next.
There are no requirements regarding parking a motor scooter on the street, but if you do park it there, it must be registered and have insurance.
As for dump trucks or other construction vehicles, this is an old ordinance, and they cannot be left overnight on our streets.
Let us know if you are aware of any newer parking ordinances re: motor scooters.
According to Neptune Township Police Department, you cannot drive a motor scooter unless it has a current registration.
Some motor scooters are so small that they do not require insurance, but many do require insurance.
If someone does not have a registration posted as a license plate, the police could look up the number of the vehicle to see if it is registered.
I have a neighbor a few doors down from me who parked one of their vehicles alongside my porch….. for 6 months straight. Not a daily driver, it would sit for a week at a time, be taken out for a few hours, and then promptly returned alongside my porch. About a month ago, I asked (nicely) that since it was the summer, and I have a number of visitors coming and going from my home, if they could please park that vehicle elsewhere. Talk about doing a 180! They went from being very friendly, to giving me the silent treatment. Mind you they have spaces directly in front of their own home they can long-term park this darn car. True story!
Dave: Whether they are legal or not is not the point. The point is that there is a history of special privileges in this town, so why not provide something for we the people.
As for all of those instances which BF cited which you claimed were legal, there may be some doubt about zoning changes that were provided for certain projects such as the North End Redevelopment Plan on behalf of WAVE and the CMA by the Township Committee in 2007. —Paul @Blogfinger
Those special privileges that Blogfinger mentions above are all legal, or agreed upon by the people in charge of Ocean Grove or lawmakers.
I have no problem with issuing special stickers for homeowners.
I do have a problem with selfish behavior—- i.e. saving parking for yourself.
1 – If they are physically impaired, get a handicap sticker
2 – If they REALLY want their car right in front all the time, go buy a house with a driveway.
Sounds fair to me.
I spoke to Lt. Zarra, traffic officer at NTPD o August 11, 2016.. He says that a motor scooter owner may not drive the device on the streets without an up-to-date registration. He says that a license plate may not be present, but if there is a complaint, the officer will check the VIN number to see if the scooter is registered.
Lt. Zarra says that the police will also contact the owner to find out if the device is insured. Sometimes small scooters do not have to be insured.
So, 2016 registration is required. Any more questions? Please call the NTPD and ask for Lt. Zarra. —-Paul @Blogfinger
If you still see registration stickers then they should end at 2005, the state stopped that whole program in 2004. I don’t know how you can tell a vehicle has expired insurance just from looKing at it but if it looks abandoned, call the PD and report it.
Dave. In most towns in America, homeowners get to park on their property or in front of their property. So wanting that here is an understandable ambition.
Our lives are full of special privileges for people in this town—eg special zoning for Mary’s Place, special beach for surfers, special street closings for merchants, closing the Sunday beaches for the CMA, special zoning for WAVE for the North End, special pier privileges for the fishing club (formerly so), special design favors for the Greek Temple, etc. So why not a parking sticker for homeowners?
You can’t read someone’s mind regarding their motives, so you can’t know that they feel superior to anyone else. Do you know for sure that any of the favored groups noted above feel superior to the rest of us?
I should not have allowed your comment because it violates our BF rule against attributing evil motives to people.
Even the motor scooter in the photo could be there because the owner has no other place to park it.
Commercial vehicles should not be allowed overnight. It is true that some families or individuals use pick up trucks or vans for their family transportation, but the presence or absence of commercial plates could be used to define the situation.
As for motor scooters, maybe we are seeing the beginning of the MSR—the Motor Scooter Revolution. I am told that someone on Main Avenue already has a fleet of scooters to use to save spaces. We have no verification of that revelation.
How many Scooters does one have to buy – in order to be able to save a spot that accommodates their vehicle? 1 Scooter isn’t going to cut it. 2 or more is necessary for an average sized car.
How many scooters will we see in OG now and how many scooters will drivers ‘accidentally’ knock over?
Thanks BF! Just bought myself a used $175 vespa this morning. Been beyond frustrated watching my neighbors doing this for the past few years. As they say….if you can’t beat them, might as well join them. Therefore, count me as another Ocean Grove jerk until Neptune does something about this. It’s completely ridiculous! I’m honestly tempted to purchase up to 10 of them now and line my entire street (I love collecting and I’m always enjoy looking for a new hobby). I’m shockingly surprised how affordable it all is (registration & insurance). In the interim, can Neptune please adopt Alternative Side Parking Rules (with real parking tickets) so some residents stop using our streets as long-term vehicle storage taking up valuable spots. Might actually help get our streets cleaned every now and then as well.
Thank you for bringing additional attention to this scooter situation. Sadly, the most painful issue is that fact that these owners feel like they are entitled to a space right in front of their place.
Street legal? Fine.
Some of these scooters are covered, with extensively rusted wheels, and I’ve noticed registrations stickers going back to 2011. Clearly not registered. Clearly not insured.
Next step is to have the authority remove scooters, without insurance and registrations, off the street.