METUCHEN — Borough officials took the first step in addressing congestion problems during drop-off and pick-up involving ride share services at the Metuchen Train Station.
Day in and day out, Councilman Reed Leibfried said he has observed “a very dangerous type of situation for cars, pedestrians and bicyclists” during peak hours at Woodbridge Avenue and Main Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue and Main Street.
The Borough Council voted in favor of an ordinance amending ride-share pick-up and drop-off zones at a meeting on Dec. 3.
The amended ordinance designates two parking lots — Halsey Street and Pennsylvania Avenue — for drop-off and pick-up for ride-share vehicles within 500 feet of the train station on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Halsey Street Lot is located directly next to the sidewalk and fence line adjacent to the railroad tracks, and the Pennsylvania Avenue Lot is located in the easterly direction.
All buses, shuttle vans and vehicles holding five or more passengers will utilize the Halsey Street Lot. The Pennsylvania Avenue Lot will not allow buses, shuttle vans and vehicles holding five or more passengers.
A provision in the ordinance provides an exception clause for if a good cause is shown to drop-off and pick-up in a different location.
The penalty for violating the ordinance is $49 ticket.
A resident came to the meeting to address an issue for people with disabilities, who may have a hard time getting to and from the different pick-up and drop-off zone.
Councilman Todd Pagel said when the issue popped up a few months ago, the goal of the amended ordinance was to alleviate traffic at the train station.
“My biggest concern for the good cause is I don’t think anybody should have to tell anybody about anything related to themselves in order to get a ride somewhere,” he said.
Pagel suggested turning eight current parking spots in the area on the side of the train station into a drop-off and pick-up zone for everybody.
Police Chief David Irizarry said he has met with Sheri-Rose Rubin, chair of the Metuchen Accessibility Committee.
“We are working towards coming up with a solution,” he said, noting he reached out to the New Jersey State Association of Police Chiefs for guidance. “I’m looking for ride-share ordinances I can go through and see if anything addresses this particular issue.”
Irizarry said the theory behind the amended ordinance was to move cars out of in front of the train station. He said when a train is delayed for any reason, the area gets congested and causes major delays.
The chief said the key is education and his officers will conduct an education blitz on the amended changes.
“We do not want to just start writing tickets,” he said, adding he will be contacting Uber and Lyft services on the changes.
Irizarry said the amended changes will not solve the problem entirely; however, he said the ordinance may cut down cars in the area by 50 to 60 percent.
“This is going to make me very happy … it’s a work in progress and we need to start somewhere,” he said.
Councilwoman Dorothy Rasmussen asked the chief to be on the lookout for vehicles that are idling, which is not allowed, and the vehicles that come out the wrong way at the train station.
Irizarry said he is aware of the vehicles coming out the wrong way, which is well-marked.
“It’s something we need to figure out a way [to combat],” he said. “I think a lot of it has to do with GPS and Waze that may send people that way.”
Mayor Jonathan Busch said it is a tangled mess at the Metuchen Train Station, which the borough has little data on what may be the major cause for the congestion. He said once the borough collects data from enforcement, officials will have a better and idea on how to better address the issues in the area.