By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
Parking is no day at the beach in Asbury Park these days.
The implementation of a new parking meter program at the city’s beachfront has visitors and residents searching for pay stations, digging for quarters when dollars won’t work and inspecting the roadway for the parking place number.
The meters have not only presented technical problems, but public relations ones as well.
Drivers attempting to use credit cards, coins or dollars are sometimes running into glitches. And if you’re not quick enough you may find you’ve gotten a parking ticket before you’ve found a pay station.
In the face of all the confusion, Councilman Ed Johnson is urging “sensitivity” on the part of the city in dealing with the situation.
“This is one of the reasons my recommendation to council was to wait until September,” he said.
But the councilman agreed when the majority votes it’s his job to get on board.
That is why Johnson said he has been visiting the beachfront daily and using the meters.
“We need to figure out the mechanical part, we need to find out what the glitches are,” he said.
Johnson said on one foggy night the meter would not take his dollar because it was wet.
Johnson said there are two parts to the difficulties resulting from the meter program, the technical aspect and the public relations aspect. He has been fielding phone calls and emails from people either confused about how to use the meters or upset at getting ticketed.
Johnson said his recommendation is that people contest tickets they believe were unfairly issued.
“I’ve been very sensitive and made a special point to be there on the weekends,” he said.
Johnson said one caller told him he parked, waited on line, used the meter, but remembered he left his cooler in the car.
By the time he got back to his car, it had already been ticketed.
In some cases, parking spaces are as much as three blocks from the nearest meter.
Another problem involves how to extend time on the meters, which was a feature highlighted by officials.
Drivers can recharge the meters from any machine.
“They made adjustments and put up new signs,” Johnson said. “Now you use the yellow and blue buttons and you can add more time.”
Johnson is also concerned with the lack of public information regarding the program.
“The public information side, we didn’t do a very good job on at all, I’m very disappointed. When I returned from vacation I made a personal effort to improve our public information out there,” he said.
Johnson said the signs on the meters and the zoning needs to be made clearer to the public.
Regarding the tickets, Johnson said overall the machines are working, despite the glitches. He said city officials will need to review what the path will be in dealing with the numerous tickets, each costing $26, that have been issued.
“We need to be sensitive to feedback and decide how we are going to deal with these tickets.”
The councilman said revenues from the meters have been higher than expected, but he did not have an exact figure.
Johnson said the council needs to generate user revenues instead of going to the taxpayers of the city.
“We are not going back to the taxpayers of Asbury Park and raising taxes,” he said. “We have to find other ways to raise revenue for the city.”
Johnson said when he has encountered difficulties using the meters, he immediately reports back to city hall.
But Johnson admits that the entire program involves a learning process.
“The only way to learn was to bring them up and see what happens,” he said. “But on public information we fell down.”
He said one problem involving the tickets is that they do not tell the driver what they did wrong and do not give the cost of the fine.
“I don’t see the problem with police enforcement, I see a problem with implementation of the policy,” Johnson said.
Johnson said younger people don’t seem to have a problem with the technology of the meters.
“It’s people my age,” he said.
To remedy the situation Johnson said a sample meter, which council used to learn how to use them, will be on display at First Saturday with a representative explaining how to use them.
Also Johnson said it’s important for all city personnel to be well versed in their use.
“All employees need to be up to speed about how those meters work.”
Johnson said he will work to make sure that the meter program goes no further until all the difficulties have been resolved.
Plans call for the meter program to be implemented in other areas of town beginning next year.
“We are not going to take one step further until we solve the technical and public relations issues,” he said.
Ron Gorsky, a retired teacher who lives in Ocean Township, said he never saw a sign on his walk to the beach.
“The signs should make it obvious, especially considering this is an all new parking concept for most people,” he said. “This was designed either to entrap people or it was designed by someone who isn’t too bright. This amounts to a money grab. I’ve been very supportive of Asbury Park for 35 years, but this is the kind of thing that makes you want to walk away.”
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I felt free to come and go into Asbury Park prior to the meter debacle. Now, I visit it less because I refuse to pay for parking. To walk the boardwalk and say hello to a few friends now and again does not not seem fair that I have to pay for that. I patronize local business and that is enough. I really don’t get it. If you live in Asbury, why not pay taxes to support your own community. Asbury does not have anything yet to offer except the continual hype that it is up and coming. When it is up and running and there is lots to do, then I can see a reason for parking fees. The town has jumped the gun and is gaining revenue off visitors to are yet to see the new Asbury and its’ cultural evolution as it is merely pending.
Disgusted Bradley beach Neighbor.