JACKSON – Township officials revised and reintroduced an ordinance related to parking and roadway safety recently. Council members are also looking at reviewing an old street ordinance.
The issue concerns multiple vehicles parked each day along those intersections which have blocked traffic, prohibited school buses and large trucks from proper turning room and restricted fire trucks and ambulances. Officials recognized the need of a 50 feet buffer zone to keep those streets clear of standing traffic during peak hours.
Mayor Michael Reina explained this ordinance concerned a continual public safety issue and will ban parking on public roads near busy county highway intersections. “Quality of life issues are a priority for my administration and for this council and I thank them for that.”
Reina added, “I will immediately sign this ordinance into law when it is formally approved and put on my desk.”
The ordinance will restrict parking within 100 feet of any county highway and vehicles will be barred from parking on township roads within 50 feet of such intersections and prevents parking in areas where large vehicles such as school buses and fire trucks have had difficulty navigating due to vehicles parked on both sides of narrow connecting streets.
Parking will be by permit only for residents living between 51 and 100 feet from the county roads. The permits will be at no cost to the residents.
Council President Jennifer Kuhn noted that several residents expressed concerns about the one vehicle limit and requested additional permits.
It was changed to include that special permits may be issued to accommodate hardships such as multiple vehicles or insufficient driveway space. The ordinance will also clarify that residents can only obtain the permit for parking adjacent to your property.
Councilman Mordechai Burnstein commented, “this has been a problem for some time in many areas of Jackson that created an unsafe condition for motorists and pedestrians alike. I want to thank the Jackson Police Department and (Ocean County) Commissioners (Frank) Sadeghi and (Gary) Quinn for working with the township to help us create this new ordinance.”
“Buses were forced to stop in the middle of roadways due to a lack of space on the side, which was dangerous. Now they can pull over safely,” Burnstein said.
He noted that in certain parts of the township, the issue has become a problem on narrow side streets that were not originally intended to have bumper-to-bumper parking on each side of the road.
“Sometimes, there is barely enough room to allow a vehicle to pass and this creates not only a traffic and safety issue, but a quality-of-life issue for nearby residents,” he added.
The officials worked on it in cooperation with Jackson Police Chief Matthew Kunz, Jackson Police Traffic Safety Bureau, Department of Public Works, Jackson Engineer T. & M. and Business Administrator Terence Wall. Illegal parking exists in some areas where people have been parking cars long-term on public streets and public medians.
The new ordinance will allow police to tow and impound vehicles who continuously violate the township’s parking ordinances.
“The fines in place don’t seem to be deterring people from violating our laws,” said Burnstein. “This ordinance would allow the police department to enforce the law and to remove vehicles from the public right of way that have been abandoned on township streets.”
“We are addressing a long-term problem that residents have been asking of the township for many years,” Kuhn added.
Andover Road Studied
Council members are also reviewing an ordinance that was enacted in 1979 regarding parking on Andover Road. During a recent Township Council meeting, residents expressed their concern over discrepancies in the street’s current status.
The Jackson Township Police Department’s Traffic Safety Bureau was asked to conduct an updated traffic safety study on the road.
The 1979 ordinance appears to have not been enforced as a one-way street between New Prospect Road to Aldrich Road according to Kuhn. She said during the February 13 council meeting that further deliberation will determine if the ordinance will be rescinded or actually enforced in the near future.
As the road sits between two county roads, county officials are also being asked to investigate the matter to make an appropriate decision.
“Residents came to our meeting and had questions After we conduct the studies, we hope to have answers and a final solution to announce in the near future,” Kuhn said.
