By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net
It is true that Blogfinger will not be posting comments or articles about the specifics of permit parking plans, because none has been put forward by the Township, and discussing hypothetical details now would be an aggravating, chaotic waste of time.
So those of you who keep trying to do that (“Well, what about the condo owners; aren’t’ they taxpayers too?” etc etc. ) please stop.
However, we have no problem with generalities, such as the principals/philosophies of permit parking or other general issues as seen in the two examples below.
#1 From Phillip Orton:
“A simple explanation for why Neptune Township may not be very responsive to OG residents requests for parking permitting systems is this: OG population is only 17% of NT!
“Paying property taxes doesn’t give you ownership of the street. The other 83% of the NT population may not enjoy the reduction in free parking spaces in OG. And the Township Committee is elected by and represents the population not the property tax payers.
“This may be a fundamental roadblock to permit parking, and nobody seems to have thought of it. What do you think?”
# 2 From Kenny:
“Paint the permit numbers on the curb.
“Enforce the code.
“Visitors? You’re on your own. Get here early.”
MICKEY GILLEY “Talk to Me.”
Five seats on Neptune Township Committee. All occupied by Democrats. They know that they will get re-elected by the majority of people in Neptune regardless of what they do or don’t do.
Meanwhile, we in Ocean Grove are neglected by the elected.
This parking issue won’t be a problem for long. A major car/transportation disruption is on the horizon. Driverless cars that can park by themselves and come pick you up when you need them. On demand car service over car ownership. Its all being developed and tested right now. Look how fast the internet and smart phones became a part of our lives.
The real question is this. What will our kids and grandkids complain about in OG when parking is no longer a problem?
There really isn’t one person on the “Twp. Committee,” that cares enough about Ocean Grove. They respond to Midtown and Shark River. I feel they see Ocean Grove “as an annoying child.” Give me an example of a Twp. Committee person who takes any interest in Ocean Grove.
Wisher: There is a culture at the Neptune mother ship which starts at the Committee and works its way down to the bureaucrats who run various Neptune departments . That culture ties into certain Ocean Grove institutions.
It’s not clear what the exact basis for it is, but when it comes to trampling our zoning, ignoring over-the-top congestion, allowing condominium conversions without parking, and disrespecting the residents of OG, one has to worry about financial incentives. The State ignores small towns like ours, so without citizen activism, this will continue.
Bigotry? Well, maybe it is a form of bias emanating from Neptune towards the citizens of Ocean Grove. Why? It probably goes back generations. I know that you see a sort of class struggle here, but that theory is, in my opinion, murky.
But really, some rich kids parking in Ocean Grove so they can save a few bucks, while OG residents have to lug their groceries blocks away from their homes? This is Asbury Parkers wanting to drink in the charm of Ocean Grove while strolling to Biergarten, in the place of basic ease of Neptune residents, who simply want to run their household.
Is the Neptune Council joking with talk of a referendum?? It boggles the mind. What are they thinking? This is bigotry. Let’s call it for what it is.
Neptune won’t respond to Ocean Grove’s concerns due to a dark feeling, a dark outlook….something.
Phillip: It doesn’t matter if the OG population is 17% of Neptune; our system of government provides power to the people, even to low population groups. I’m sure you know that the US Senate gives as much clout to South Dakota as it does to California. And then there is our Electoral College which makes similar allowances. The size of our OG population should not prevent us from getting the attention of the Committee to consider the permit suggestion.
If you are referring to the fact that we don’t have much voting power, that is true, but once an individual is elected to the Township Committee, he is responsible (as you point out) to all residents of Neptune Township. So we have every right to expect that our needs should be respected by each Committeeman regardless of our voting power.
You say that being a taxpayer does not offer any advantage over other citizens in terms of privileges such as parking permits, but if it weren’t for the taxpayers, no one could get any services and the Township would fail. It is not unreasonable to expect that this major fact be considered when policy is being developed by the Committee for, in this case, parking consideration in OG. The law does not tell our local government what factors to consider in making policy, as long as there is nothing illegal going on. And ownership of the roads is irrelevant.
Do you think that those who contribute to political campaigns receive any special consideration when policies are established? Of course they do, and everyone knows that. So it’s not unreasonable for a group of taxpayers to ask for some special consideration as well. That’s not illegal and in fact makes sense if the Township wants to attract homebuyers who will want to live in this high tax town.
Also, there is reason to think that a permit plan will not reduce the number of free parking spaces in town. After all, the residents have to park somewhere, and I believe the end result of a well designed permit plan will have no significant negative effect on those who do not have permits. If consultants are commissioned by the Township (just like the GAO will assess the health plan) we will find out, but your conclusion is, at this time, without merit.
–Paul
Asbury Park visitors, business owners and their employees, property owners and tenants are certainly not paying Neptune taxes, yet appropriate Neptune resources free of charge.
Yet the Township Committee is so weak it can’t stand for the simple principle that Neptune resources are for Neptune residents and businesses.
A referendum on the question of theft of Neptune road property to benefit another town??? Are you kidding me?
Kenny: What I liked about your comment was the last part where you say: “Visitors? You’re on your own. Get here early.” Yes, the debate about parking should not concern itself with visitors.
They will come to the Grove as always and they will find parking , but they will have to take a back seat to permitted spaces. The number of spaces for them won’t change, but the convenience may—however, as Kenny points out, they will have to accept that reality and adjust if they want to come to our very desirable town.
If we don’t think out of the box, these issues will never be solved and the parking disaster will continue to worsen each year without any help for those who actually live in this town. And that will be a failure of governance, and, I am sure, will be a factor in persuading some residents to leave.—Paul
I don’t really care much about parking anymore. Given how much my taxes have gone up in the past 12 years, I can’t afford to live here much longer.