ROBBINSVILLE — When 6½ inches of snow fell overnight on Feb. 8 the township plows took to the roads. In Town Center, not only was the snow removed, so were a number of residents’ cars.
Because some streets in town center are not wide enough to accommodate parked cars on both sides of the streets and a snowplow, some residents alerted police that the plows were blocked.
So police, following the current ordinance requiring cars to be moved when snow covers the streets, issued tickets to cars allegedly illegally parked, and called the township’s towing contractors to remove the offending vehicles. Police said 32 summonses were issued, and 10 vehicles were towed that night.
Residents came to the Township Committee meeting Feb. 14 to complain that their cars had been removed, costing them anywhere from $100 up to $287 in towing and storage charges, in addition to the possibility of a fine.
”People cannot park their cars in garages,” Anuj Bhatnagar of Park Street told the Township Council. “The 2010 ordinance is not appropriate.”
He addressed the mayor and council with tickets and towing paperwork in hand. He said that people were out in the street early Saturday morning trying to keep their cars from being removed. Some, he said, were in their pajamas.
Mayor Dave Fried said his administration had fielded a number of calls about the problem and it was working to find a solution to the situation.
”We are going to allow one-side-of –the-street parking,” he said, and put up “new signs so people will understand” the new policy.
Mr. Bhatnagar said the township needed to better communicate the regulations to its residents and Mayor Fried said that each resident who received a ticket that night would be called.
Mr. Bhatnagar asked if there could be amnesty on tickets issued to residents that night. Mayor Fried and Police Chief Marty Masseroni said they were working through the Prosecutor’s Office and the court to try to reduce the financial impact of the summonses, perhaps by charging a processing fee instead of the full fine of $50 plus $33 in court costs.
The chief said the tickets had been placed on hold, so no one would need to appear in court, until an agreement could be arranged.
