These Blogfinger photos are from Oct. 28, 2014 in front of the Ocean Grove Post Office. Note the size of the “loading zone.” ©
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
A question arose here recently regarding access to the OG post office, among other postal issues. Many of us read the sign in front of the post office (“loading drop off zone”) and felt that we could pull in to drop off a letter or package at the post office.
Joe commented: “Just so you know, that loading zone is the only place large trucks have to drop off for the various restaurants and stores on Main without impeding traffic. I’ve seen the cops ticket people who park there, and their pleas of going into the post office fall on indifferent ears.” Joe didn’t want his neighbors to get ticketed.
I went back to check the lay of the land and the wording of the sign.
Then I contacted the Traffic Officer, NTPD, who was unsure of the answer to the inquiry. He said that he had not heard of ticketing cars there. He got back to us with this response:
“I checked with the Township. That was put there for the bus stop when they are loading and unloading. No one else is allowed to park there. ”
I don’t see the word “bus” on any of the signs shown above, and it seems easy to conclude that the signs refer to the post office. And how about those trucks that Joe describes? Have they been ticketed also? Given the ambiguity of the signage, those citizens should have been given a pass by the police
Why not give the citizens two or three diagonal spaces for post office drop offs? There is room. Buses don’t need that much space. They rarely come into town. In neighboring towns, the bus stops are marked with yellow curbs only and they are not very big. Today I saw some cars parked in Asbury bus stops.
In Ocean Township, there is a small post office on a narrow congested street with no parking (sort of like our Main Avenue). But that town has set aside 4 spaces that permit 15 minute parking for the post office.
Fairmont Avenue post office in Ocean Twp. 4 spaces reserved for patrons—15 minute parking. Blogfinger photo click to read the sign.
Why is it that whenever an idea about parking is suggested by Ocean Grove taxpayers as they seek some relief, they are consistently thrown under the bus and ignored by the Township?
Is this a trivial matter? No. Small victories give rise to big victories.
It’s time for the Township to favor the wishes of the people regarding parking, as opposed to paying special attention to others such as tourists or merchants . Remember the design of the Main Avenue downtown which took away many parking spaces to allow expansion of outdoor dining?
And what do we have here now—helping out the bus company to the detriment of the public?
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA with HANK WILLIAMS JUNIOR
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger