By tara petersen
Staff Writer
JAMESBURG — Residents may soon have a park-and-ride service closer to home.
A bill is currently being considered by Gov. James E. McGreevey that would allow certain parking lots in county parks, such as Thompson Park, to be used on a limited basis for commuter parking.
For someone who lives in Jamesburg and works in or around Manhattan, mass transit commuting options are few. There is no rail service nearby, and the nearest park-and-ride, other than a lot on Applegarth Road that is exclusively for Monroe Township residents, is off Route 130 in South Brunswick.
"The park-and-ride on Route 130 is overcrowded," borough Councilwoman Barbara Carpenter said. "You have to get there before 7 a.m. to get a spot."
Carpenter has been working with Suburban Transit, a New Brunswick-based bus service, to provide Jamesburg area commuters with an option to park their cars on weekdays in designated areas of Thompson Park.
"One [parking lot] in the park is totally empty Monday through Friday," Carpenter said. "The parking lot is there, the lights are there. Nothing would really need to be done [to make it suitable for a park-and-ride.]"
Around 100 parking spaces could be allocated for this use, she said.
"It could be signed any day now," Carpenter said. "If McGreevey doesn’t sign it, it automatically becomes a law in November."
She said that it was a coincidence that "the bill was already on the table" at the time that she looked into the situation. She also said that she would need to meet with the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders to make sure all regulations are met.
The details have not yet been decided, but Carpenter said she believes residents would have the ability to apply for a monthly pass.
"We still need a bus service even if we don’t get the park-and-ride," Carpenter said.
She added that people need alternative ways to get to "malls, hospitals and New York City" other than driving themselves.