METUCHEN — With safety at the forefront, the Borough Council is expected to make changes to parking in the area of Prospect Street and High Street, which intersect each other.
Borough Administrator Jay Muldoon said he and Police Chief David Irizarry visited the area after resident complaints of parking woes and speeding in the area.
Muldoon said the recommendation is to limit parking for two hours for the entire length of Prospect Street from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
He said on the south side of High Street that has a solar company on the end, the recommendation is to have no parking at all from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday except for public holidays.
On the other side of High Street, which has residential properties, Muldoon said the recommendation is a two hour parking limit from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Residents on High and Prospect Streets will be required to get a sticker in order to park on the street between those limited hours.
Muldoon said borough officials debated the request by residents to have no parking on the residential side of High Street.
“It would present challenges that some of those residents don’t realize,” he said. “If [a resident] had a relative come visit and park their car, it would be ticketed almost immediately. I think the two hour limit there is the right way to go.”
Muldoon said once implemented, the council can make adjustments to the parking implementation if needed.
He said the allowance of parking on the weekends provides a balance for the area.
The council is expected to introduce the parking changes at a council meeting on Jan. 16 and the changes will be adopted on Feb. 5.
In other traffic news, the intersection of Brunswick and Lake avenues is a three way stop intersection.
In December, the council approved the implementation of the stop signs.
Prior to the implementation, Muldoon said there was only a stop sign on Brunswick Avenue.
Some neighbors told borough officials that they noticed an increase in traffic and speeding in the area, which is near Edgar Middle School.
Muldoon said he asked Irizarry to look at the area and the recommendation was the multi-way stop intersection.
“The three-way stop is much safer for school children,” he said. “People have to stop rather than speeding all the way up to the Metuchen Y, which has a stop sign.”