Parking will no longer be permitted on the stretch of pavement from Ridge Road to Route 522 after the Township Council passed an ordinance Tuesday.
By: Matthew Armstrong
"No Parking" signs will soon be going up on the east side of Georges Road between Ridge Road and Route 522.
The Township Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to prohibit on-street parking on that section of the road.
"This is the recommendation of the police department to enact this for safety reasons," said Mayor Debra Johnson.
Councilman Ted Van Hessen was the lone dissenting vote. He questioned the safety concerns cited by police and argued the council should work instead to help Dayton Square residents who are forced to park on that street because of insufficient parking spaces in their housing development.
Last summer the council prohibited parking on the west side of Georges Road because of safety issues where two lanes merge into one after the intersection with Route 522. The parking ban forced residents of Dayton Square to park on the east side of Georges Road and cross the street to get to their homes.
State guidelines say parking should be prohibited on streets like Georges Road that have painted shoulders, said Lt. Ronald Schmalz.
Township engineers designed various parking plans for Dayton Square.
"The council has been brought into a situation that clearly resides with the homeowners’ association and the residents," said Councilman Edmund Luciano. "It is not this council’s fault. We’ve done everything, but build it for them."
But Mr. Van Hessen questioned the validity of the safety concerns, noting that in three years there has not been one accident along that stretch of road. There have been numerous accidents at the intersection of Georges Road and Route 522.
"I find it interesting that there was not a single accident involving a parked car, a pedestrian, merging traffic, anything along that part of Georges Road," said Mr. Van Hessen.
Other council members relied on the police assessment that the situation is unsafe, and said they were not going to wait until an accident does occur there to prove it.
"We cannot wait for a serious accident to occur," said Councilman Frank Gambatese. "Thank God nothing has happened. I would feel responsible if someone was seriously hurt because the council refused to act."
Residents of Dayton Square admit that the homeowners’ association has not done anything to address the parking problem. Three different sections comprise the development. The front section along Georges Road is the only part with not enough parking.
The homeowners’ association denies there is insufficient parking said property manager Gail Mayewski last month.
In the front section of the development there are 78 housing units for which there are 82 reserved spaces and 60 unreserved spaces. Residents say it simply is not enough.
Residents had hoped that the council would delay the parking ban until May when elections will be held to appoint members to the homeowners’ association. With a new homeowners’ association, residents hope the problem will be addressed.
"I have to walk two blocks to my handicap parking space and the board is not doing anything," said resident Audrey Myer. "I wish they would have delayed the vote until we can get new members in there and accomplish what we need to accomplish. The president of the association doesn’t even live in the development anymore."