I wrote here a few weeks ago that the implementation could have been
better and about the fiasco one Sunday when none of the machines would
take money. I called the APPD and Reidy. But I am for the parking
system. $30k in two weeks. Will pay for itself in 1 year. Let's see if
the city follows through with the remedies.
>From APP
ASBURY PARK City officials are moving quickly to improve the new
paid parking on the beachfront blocks, most critically getting new
signs up with clear directions to go to the pay stations at each
intersection along Ocean Avenue and Kingsley Street.
Directions on the pay machines themselves also are being changed to
help patrons enter their parking space numbers, pay with cash or
credit cards, keep their parking slips and add more hours at any pay
station if their time has expired. The pay stations also will be lit
up at night.
Police began enforcing the new parking requirements on Aug. 15, but
confusion over the new computerized pay stations led to a flood of
parking tickets several hundred in a week's time alone and an
outcry from the public.
"I think it's a disgrace and embarrassment the way this parking was
implemented," said Debbie DeLisa, owner of the Wonder Bar on Ocean
Avenue, at Wednesday night's City Council meeting. "You'd better put
signage up, and you should put a public apology in the newspaper. . .
. There's still no (new) signs, and people will get tickets."
"The biggest breakdown was the outreach piece, and part of that was
the signage," City Manager Terence Reidy said earlier at the meeting.
"One of the things we learned was the signage attempted to be very
specific and ended up being very confusing."
People coming to the Asbury Park beachfront have not had to pay for
parking for many years after old parking meters fell into disrepair
and were no longer enforced.
"We had to implement (the new system) to find the flaws," said City
Councilman Ed Johnson, who expressed his concern with the
implementation and said the city can do better.
The parking, which is in effect from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., costs 50 cents
an hour. Signs that limit parking to three hours on Ocean Avenue, six
hours on the side avenues and 12 hours on Kingsley Street will be
eliminated altogether because customers can add time and having a time
limit does not make sense, officials said.
Notices are to be sent to businesses to post in their windows to
notify patrons that they have to pay for parking, and additional
training will be given to police and other city employees to assist
the public with the pay stations.
The council had been in agreement that the city had to begin charging
for parking because of the need for revenue, although there was
uncertainty on whether to start the system in August to capitalize on
the large crowds coming to the revived boardwalk or to wait until
fall. Councilman Jim Keady Wednesday night said that approximately
$29,000 was collected from Aug. 15 through Wednesday, and an
additional $6,000 was collected when the pay stations were operating
but not yet being enforced.
The city bonded to spend about $428,000 for 32 pay stations on the
beachfront and is paying debt service of $55,000 per year. In future
phases, the city will install the paid parking system at other sites
including the downtown and Main Street.
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