Ocean Grove Parking Back On Neptune Agenda Tonight

NEPTUNE, NJ - After a lengthy and contentious public meeting Monday in which some 200 people heard about a pilot program to control parking in Ocean Grove's North End, the Neptune Township Committee will discuss the issue again.

According to Neptune's agenda for tonight's meeting, the pilot program is being heard in the workshop meeting, which generally does not permit public comment. If officials reach a consensus, they could move it to a regular agenda but consensus hardly seems likely, given the reaction Monday of the different committee members.

On Monday, several expressed surprise and consternation that they were receiving details for the first time that night. Others have numerous questions they posed to the pilot program author Committee Member Carol Rizzo who noted the plan was subject to revision. The bottom line, said Rizzo, who lives in the North End, is something needs to be done: Ocean Grove parking has long been a difficult issue but it has become increasingly problematic as Asbury Park's redevelopment hits its stride, bringing countless people into the neighboring city where parking also is at a premium and heavily controlled by permits and parking meters.

According to Rizzo and others at the meeting, Asbury Park residents tell their visitors to park in Ocean Grove and take a cab or Uber over to the city, hogging spaces which ordinarily would go to Ocean Grove residents who live in a historic district where driveways are not permitted.

Ocean Grove further is boxed in because its neighbor to the south, Bradley Beach also now regulates parking.

Rizzo said initially she thought her pilot program should involve all of Ocean Grove but she ultimately settled on the North End, which is closest to the Asbury Park boundary and thus more subject to pilfering by people visiting there. The study area is from Wesley Lake through to Heck Avenue, which it would include as north-to-south boundaries and the Ocean Grove Gates to Ocean Avenue, east to west where there are 1,025 spaces.

Rizzo proposes permit parking on one side of the street except for the streets near the lake, Asbury Park and the North End condominiums and apartments. Under the pilot program, a commercial zone from Main Avenue to Central to New York Avenue would have two-to-three hour parking between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Rizzo's proposal includes these factoids: There are 3,049 residential units in Ocean Grove, of which 1,734 are occupied year-round. There are 3,015 full-time residents, half of whom live alone. Their median age is 53. Some 1,055 residents are older than 62 and 815 are above the age of 65. Almost 70 percent are women. Density is the second highest on the Jersey Shore.

Take that math and apply life to it, Rizzo says: Too many elderly people feel trapped, not leaving their homes even for critical trips such as doctor appointments or to refill medications for fear they will lose their parking spot or be unable to find another.

Some behavior related to the lack of parking has led to dangerous developments such as cars parking in fire zones; people getting aggressive and slashing tires of cars that have overstayed their welcomes or "reserving spaces" by putting traffic cones, garbage cans or lawn chairs in the street.

Permits would be one to a family depending on popularity. If there are extras, the town could consider allowing more than one permit. There would be no physical permits. Instead, the property owner would enter his or her license plates into a data base and a license reader would then be used by a special law enforcement officer who would employ it in the summer mainly on weekends from May 15 to Sept.15.

The cost for the pilot is $100,000 or so. Any ticket revenue would go to the police department. The pilot is not intended to make money, only break even. Permits would likely cost $70 to $90 in the first year but if the pilot is successful, the cost would go down in the second year to $20 0r $30.

The possibility of regulating parking in Ocean Grove is on the agenda tonight. Image via Shutterstock.