Parking spaces have always been at a premium in Hoboken, and the city of Hoboken and the Chamber of Commerce have been racking their brains to find a solution. So the trial of a free shopper shuttle is beginning Saturday, April 1 to transport Hoboken shoppers up and down the avenue. The shuttle will run each weekend for the month of April. The city’s small Crosstown bus, which seats approximately 25 people, will be used for the Saturday and Sunday shuttle. The city is providing the fuel and the bus, and the Chamber of Commerce is paying for the bus driver. The shuttle will run approximately every half-hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will stop at all of NJ Transit’s bus stops (which are located at every other block). The shuttle route will begin at the parking garage on Second and Hudson streets, will make a right onto Second Street, and then will make another right onto Washington Street. The shuttle will continue on Washington heading uptown until it finally turns left onto 14th Street. The shuttle will then proceed to Willow and turn left, making a stop near the senior building on 12th Street. On 11th and Willow, the shuttle makes a left and returns to Washington. It then makes a left onto Third until it hits Hudson, where the cycle begins again. “There’s a need to address the parking situation, and the city is working with the Chamber of Commerce to address the issues of parking,” said City Hall spokesperson Mike Korman. “The Chamber of Commerce and the city have been meeting regularly recently, and they have been very productive and very successful. As a result of the shuttle, we hope that there are less cars on Washington Street.” John Parchinsky, President of the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce, agreed that the objective is to eliminate a few of the cars on Washington. “Parking is at a premium, making it difficult for people to shop,” said Parchinsky. “This is a step in terms of finding a solution rather than just complaining about parking. There isn’t any one answer to the parking problem, but we’ll test it through April and see if parking improves. If it helps, the shuttle might become permanent.” Battaglia’s store owner Brian Battaglia has had his home accessories store on Third and Washington for nearly three years. He said he hopes the new shuttle will help bring more uptown customers. “I think it’s great,” said Battaglia. “Most people in this town don’t walk for more than four or five blocks, so this should really help.” Battaglia said that the lack of parking by his store has affected his business. “A lot of customers complain about parking,” said Battaglia. “I mean, who doesn’t complain about parking here. People tell me that want to stop by all the time but they can’t find parking, or they just don’t spend as much time in the store as they’d like because they’re worried about their cars.” Fred Moadab, manager of Crabtree & Evelyn on Seventh and Washington streets, said he’s tired of losing customers over parking. “It’s about time someone does something about the parking problems in Hoboken,” said Moadab. “We lose all our business to the malls because all the cars make it inconvenient to shop in Hoboken. And it’s great that this is happening on the weekends, because they’re worse than the weekdays. I even have trouble opening the store on weekends because I have nowhere to park. Any remedy to the parking problem will make things 1000 percent better.” Manager Bruce Robins of furniture and accessory store Mad Haus on Second and Washington says the shuttle is a step in the right direction. “Hoboken has such a bad rap for parking that anything would help,” said Robins. “Customers complain about parking all the time, and the cops hassle them when they double-park to make a quick pick up. So this is a great idea.”
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