Dear Editor:
After reading the letter by Debra Morrissette on Sunday, March 9, 2003 regarding parking, I would like to add to her comments and ask why the City of Hoboken has not added the new ‘Resident Only’ parking signs to the numbered cross streets, e.g. 1st, 2nd, 3rd Street and so forth in order to enforce the new parking rules?
Am I mistaken, or do residents and property owners not live on these streets? In which case, why are there no new signs on these streets, only the avenues? Perhaps the new signs have not been installed yet?
In trying to abide by City Regulations and do the ‘right thing’, I recently approached the Hoboken Parking Utility to obtain a temporary parking permit for my family for their weekend visit so they could park on my street. However, I was told by City Hall that I did not need a parking permit since no parking rules were not enforced during this period.
Surely given the volume of additional cars entering the City over a weekend to enjoy our wonderful bars, restaurants and shops, it should be the weekend of all times that parking rules are enforced.
On Madison Street alone it is becoming increasingly difficult to find any parking because of the number of non-residents and out-of-state vehicles that are parking on the ‘residential only’ side of the street. Most of these vehicles blatantly abuse the parking rules. Why? There is no enforcement of these rules. I can only assume that many take their chances on the City streets because to park in the City garages requires driving up to Hudson Street and than having to walk 10 blocks back to their final destination. Madison Street is not alone. I see the same thing repeated on Jefferson Street, Adams Street and Monroe.
If additional parking garages were built on the west side of town, e.g. next to the future light-rail stations, I believe the parking problem would be greatly improved by encouraging out-of-town drivers to park in City garages and then take the light-rail into the center of town. Perhaps there could be some financial incentive for this to happen, such as a free ride to and from these light-rail stops to the Hoboken Terminal. Surely this is part of the reason that the light-rail system will run from 9th to 12th Streets to the Hoboken Terminal, to provide and support an infrastructure on the west side of town.
There is a desperate need to resolve the parking problems that Hoboken faces. These problems aren’t new. It is just unfortunate that these problems are still yet to be resolved.
Jeremy Mankin