Drivers From Elsewhere Are Taking Over Parking Spots In Jersey City Heights, Neighbors Say
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Spillover parking into a neighborhood in Jersey City is frustrating people who live and work there, and adding to congestion in one of the most densely-populated areas in the Tri-State.
As CBS2's Meg Baker reported, the parking situation in Jersey City Heights from Route 139 to Patterson Plank Road is so bad that some residents are even moving out of the area.
"I get tickets quite often because it's not that easy, as you see, to find parking," said business owner Gloria Salazar.
Councilman Michael Yun (Ward D) says many drivers from out of town park in the heights because a parking permit is not needed.
They park on our street and they get in the bus, they go to New York City, so they hold our parking spaces eight to nine hours per day," Yun said.
The Jersey City Heights neighborhood is on the boundary of Union City, Hoboken, and North Bergen.
"And those towns have their own parking restrictions which ultimately affect living here," said David Diaz, district manager for the Central Avenue Special Improvements District.
Workers in the area said most days, they can only find a spot with a time limit, and if they are too busy to move their car, that means they are getting a ticket.
"We estimate that there's about 300 people that come to work on a daily basis to the shopping district, between the police, the teachers in the area, and the merchants and the employees. We're trying to get those folks that are parking for eight or more hours a day into an area that'll create some turnover in the on-street parking," Diaz said.
To combat the issue, the Jersey City Council just passed a permit parking ordinance. It will cost residents $15 a year.
As for workers, a parking deck is planned for Central Avenue to free up spaces for shoppers. There is no estimated timetable for the groundbreaking.
The new parking ordinance will start in 2018, once signs in the area are updated.