Mixed opinions as Hoboken begins using cameras to crack down on double parking
Cameras, which go live on Oct. 1, are out to catch double parkers.
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Trying to double park in Hoboken, just for a few minutes? Not anymore.
There’s a new eye in the sky along Washington Street in Hoboken. Cameras, which go live on Oct. 1, are out to catch double parkers.
“When you have a bus that cannot go into a bus lane and has to go into the middle of the street, you have a car that's trying to navigate that bus that's in the middle of the street,” said Mayor Ravi Bhalla. “That causes a public safety hazard for everyone.”
Images captured by the cameras will be reviewed by the parking utility, with a ticket coming in the mail for violators. There was support among cyclists, but questions to consider about the business impact.
“Make people wake up a little bit and pay attention, and watch what's going on when they're driving,” said resident Anthony Zielinski.
“It's a terrible idea,” said store owner Armando Luis. “How am I going to unload a truck that takes two hours within a 20-minute loading zone. How am I going to do that?”
Luis says a key part of the current arrangement is the human element of the traffic utility.
“If the grace period is being enforced by someone behind a computer screen, that's very different from the time period being enforced by a human being that can simply tell the customer, ‘Hey, is that you parked there? Can you move?’ said Luis. “And most of the time, they move.”
“Over three months, we'll be implementing and enforcing this pilot,” said Bhalla. “Then, we want to hear feedback from the business community. We want to hear what works, what doesn't work.”
Others on the council aren’t certain this solves the biggest issue.
“E-delivery riders obeying road rules - I think that's more of a concern for me with my residents than the double parking,” said councilman Paul Presinzano. “That's a stationary car.”
Parking in a loading zone is a $55 ticket. It’s a $63 ticket for parking in a bus stop, and $150 for parking in a bike lane.
