Dear Editor:
Why all the political posturing around the Corner Car program? What is with the recent 4 – 4 vote not to read the first ordnance to permanently establish the spots? This is not D.C. where the Democrats recently staged a huge victory. Just because one council seat changed hands recently shouldn’t mean we stop the positive momentum that our city leadership has been working towards. The point that our car program has been written up in publications is good P.R. for Hoboken; we are setting a trend and being seen as a model city. Don’t stop this momentum, otherwise more ridicule and mockery could just be around the corner.
Like all new endeavors, let’s give this program time to take root in our city. The Corner Car program is a sound idea providing an alternative to having one’s own car in Hoboken. However, our city officials shouldn’t expect overnight success especially when so many residents may have leased cars. It’s not like we can cancel an auto lease overnight without early termination penalties. Consider allowing both six month and 12 month periods before analyzing parking registration data and determining an up-take success rate. At the very least, per last week’s Reporter story [Nov. 28 issue], “Sacs said last week that 45 residents have turned in their city parking permits because of the Corner Cars program.” To this resident, that sounds like we are on the right road to success.
If our city council members need a reassuring measure on the program activity now is a great time with the holiday season here. How about looking at the rental data figures in January then making some decisions. Perhaps placing 42 Connect Cars on the street was too big an undertaking to start with. Maybe it’s a matter of moving a third of the cars (or some other agreeable percentage) into parking garages across the mile square city and not just city owned garages, but into private garages such as those uptown – Impark, ProPark and Littleman parking lots.
Brian Wagner