Parking Issues
There’s something wrong with this town if on a Saturday night you have to drive around for an hour looking for a parking space. There’s a lot of people in town, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. One of my neighbors made a comment that he parks the cars on Friday night and keeps them there until Monday morning because it is too hard to find a parking space on the weekend.
The issue with parking in Perth Amboy is not new. I remember around two years ago, I was picking up a computer on a side street. Every parking place was taken except one in a loading zone. It was pouring rain outside. In the five minutes I was parked while picking up the computer, a Parking Utility Officer was already going to give me a ticket. I ran out there and told her I would leave in one minute. I paid the tech, stuffed the computer in the car and left. Thank God the Parking Utility Officer was kind enough to give me that minute.
When visitors come to my house, it’s not unusual that they tell me they had to drive around the block 7 times to find a parking spot. Once, I had to drive for an hour at 1:00 a.m. looking for a parking space.
How many people who live in the vicinity of Perth Amboy High School and Shull School have to suffer all day because of teachers, staff, etc. who have to park in the surrounding area? This problem is exasperating when it snows.
These stories are not unique in Perth Amboy. Parking is a major issue. As the population of Perth Amboy grows by leaps in bounds, there is LESS AND LESS PARKING AVAILABLE.
Something must be done, or this problem is going to continue to get worse and worse. The City cannot continue to build and build without taking parking and congestion into consideration.
Downtown Woodbridge has a plethora of parking spaces on New Street and North James Street. South Amboy has pocket parking lots on North Broadway.
As most people who live in Perth Amboy know, the town is over 300 years old. Businesses on the outskirts of towns are mostly corporations, distribution centers, warehouses, that have plenty of built in parking spaces on their premises for their employees, staff, and visitors. A large portion of Perth Amboy lives in the heart of town, especially on Smith Street where businesses have apartments above their stores. That factor makes the business district of Perth Amboy very congested. The City should consider creating more public parking whether it be pocket parking or a municipal lot for visitors.
One proposal was to have a promenade on the heart Smith Street (like in Cape May) for pedestrians only and maybe a bicycle lane. The vehicle traffic can then be diverted to Market Street and New Brunswick Avenue which would alleviate congestion and leave parking with assigned spots for residents and for visitors. There still would have to be a parking lot somewhere with transportation throughout the City such as shuttle buses or taxis.
I do not feel that the proposed idea of shared parking spaces would be a good idea. Many residents who are retired or work at home will be reluctant to share spaces, as would I because it would be extremely inconvenient.
The more crowded Perth Amboy gets, the less parking becomes available. More parking meters and more pay stations are not the answer. As I stated many times before, parking meters deter visitors and residents who are not within walking distance of downtown from coming in. When it comes to parking tickets, Perth Amboy has gotten a notorious reputation and is the reason why many people do not want to come into town.
Something must be done to alleviate traffic congestion and make parking more available if this town is to grow and thrive. K.M.
