A special virtual council meeting will be held on July 22 at 4 p.m. to override a mayoral veto regarding bicycle parking at municipal garages.
The Hoboken City Council adopted an ordinance 7-2 on July 8 which would have allowed residents park bikes in designated areas of municipal garages for an annual fee of $52, or $1 a week.
Mayor Ravi Bhalla vetoed the ordinance, sponsored by Councilman Michael DeFusco and Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, on July 17.
“While I am completely supportive of legislation that would potentially add safe bicycle parking for residents, the Ordinance is severely lacking in the detail and substance that would be necessary to successfully implement such a program,” Bhalla said in his veto statement. “The Ordinance contains no information on how bicycles would be parked/maintained in ‘designated areas’ within the municipal garage, what the application process would consist of, how many spots would be available, what enforcement mechanisms would be implemented to ensure that a permit had been obtained and was maintained on a yearly basis, or who would be responsible for running this program both from an oversight perspective and on a day-to-day basis within the garages. Further, it is not clear from within the Ordinance, nor are there any explanatory ‘Whereas’ clauses, as to how the annual fee was calculated/determined. Therefore, although I am supportive of the idea behind this Ordinance, it is not fully developed in a manner that would allow the proposed program to get off the ground, let alone be successful.”
He said he would be happy to reconsider more detailed and substantive legislation that adds safe bicycle parking for residents but “in the absence of a more robust plan, the Administration does not have the resources nor does it intend to implement and administer this proposed fee for bicycle parking.”
DeFusco said this is just another example of the mayor’s unwillingness to work with the city council.
“I’ve long said that local government can only serve the best interests of its residents when we bring new and innovative ideas to the table to better our city,” DeFusco said. “This is the very reason I was proud to work with Councilwoman Fisher, community stakeholders, and Director Sharp to advance a plan to create bicycle parking in our municipal garages. The mayor’s refusal to advance legislation, despite earning overwhelming support of the Council, is nothing short of his inability to put politics aside to create new opportunities for Hoboken residents. Instead of continuing his record of vetoing legislation sponsored by those who do not agree with him politically, might I suggest the mayor better utilize his time by addressing the nearly 10 percent municipal tax hike he’s proposed in the middle of a recession.”
Hoboken is currently undergoing the budgeting process with workshops on the proposed $117.8 million municipal budget scheduled to begin next week.
The newly introduced budget combats a nearly 20 million budget gap due to a loss of revenues, loss of regenerating surplus, and COVID-19 costs and revenue losses.
It proposes a 9.8 percent municipal tax increase which, due to a decrease in county taxes, would amount to a 1.4 percent tax increase in property owners’ total tax bill.
City spokesperson Vijay Chaudhuri said that under the Bhalla administration, Hoboken has prioritized a number of initiatives to encourage alternative transportation and increase pedestrian safety, including looking for a combined Hoboken/ Jersey City bike sharing system with Mayor Steven Fulop, launching open streets and slow streets programs in Hoboken, signing an executive order launching Vision Zero pedestrian safety campaign in Hoboken, installing protected bike lanes and non-protected bike lanes, making Vision Zero improvements to Newark Street, constructing curb extensions to reduce crossing distances for pedestrians and slow vehicles, and re-launching Sinatra Summer Streets.
“Mayor Bhalla is 100 percent supportive of bike-friendly legislation that includes well thought-out, specific guidelines that take into account input from the Director of Transportation, administration, cycling advocates, and City Councilmembers,” said Chaudhuri. “While this one-sentence ordinance failed to include any actual details, lacked support from key stakeholders, and did not provide any necessary safety precautions, he invites all stakeholders to work in collaboration on policies that would benefit cyclists in town that are safe, feasible, and does not put an unnecessary burden on the City to implement, especially given that much of the City’s time and resources are currently devoted to the COVID-19 pandemic response.”
Councilman Phil Cohen, who voted against the “half baked” ordinance, took issue with the $52 annual fee and the lack of language regarding bike security.
“I would have gladly voted for this ordinance if it included a plan for secure bicycle parking in our City garages — and given a moment’s thought as to how such a system would be funded,” Cohen said. “Instead, we got an unfunded mandate from my council colleagues that did not poll or consider the wonderful Bike Hoboken community — whose representative asked that we table the Ordinance on first reading so such consideration could be given — or meaningfully consult with Director Sharp and Mayor Bhalla’s bike-friendly administration. The ordinance sets the annual bicycle storage price at $52/year — a large percentage of what it costs a bike owner to own and operate a bike — arriving on this price without conducting any market research, community meetings, or feasibility analysis to assess the community demand or a reasonable price point. I wish my Council colleagues would go back to the drawing board — and collaborate with natural allies to develop a holistic Bike Parking Plan for our community to encourage bicycle use and promote secure bike parking — rather than pushing this half-baked ordinance.”
Join the meeting
The special council meeting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday will include a vote on an ordinance on final reading to close a portion of Sinatra Drive to vehicular traffic for pedestrians and local businesses to use.
It can be viewed online through the Meeting Portal, at http://hobokennj.iqm2.com/citizens/default.aspx and streamed on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/pg/Hoboken/videos/ .
To comment during the meeting via Zoom go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87267585503?pwd=bElpQ2cvaDd1SjM2RjUwUW1NRU1tdz09 .
Those who wish to participate can also call into the meeting at 646-876-9923 and enter the meeting ID of 872 6758 5503 and password of 082576.
