Secaucus is seeking to change the cost and hours of parking meters in the town.
The Town Council voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that would do so at a meeting in late June. Mayor Michael Gonnelli was absent, so Third Ward Councilman Bill McKeever chaired the meeting in his place.
The ordinance would amend the town code section on “Vehicles and Traffic” parking meter pricing and hours. While not listed on the agenda, the ordinance was added on at the meeting.
According to the ordinance, the amendments aim “to address changes in meter and paid parking technology and use of the areas by the public.” This includes changes to the enforcement of hours to include additional days in some cases, rate increases in most areas, and other adjustments such as to the maximum amount of time a vehicle can be parked in a space.
First Avenue and Front Street
Unless specified otherwise, all metered parking spaces would be enforced from Monday through Saturday instead of Monday through Friday.
On First Avenue, from Center to the driveway of 150 Plaza Center, the metered parking spaces hours are enforced from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The time limit would remain at two hours, but would increase from 5 cents per quarter hour to 25 cents per half hour.
On First Avenue, from Wilson Avenue to the driveway of 100 Plaza Center, the metered parking would remain enforced from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a limit of 12 hours, but the rate would increase from 25 cents an hour to 25 cents per half hour.
On First Avenue, from the driveway of 150 Plaza Center running east, the hours would remain enforced from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The time limit would decrease from five hours to two hours and the rate would increase from 25 cents an hour to 25 cents a half hour.
On Front Street, the enforcement of hours would remain the same at two hours maximum from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for most of the street, except for the north running portion opposite of Front Street between Humboldt Street and Golden Avenue which would be enforced for 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The rates all would increase from 5 cents for a quarter hour to 25 cents for a half hour.
Golden Avenue, Humboldt Street, Irving Place, Minnie Place, and Wilson Avenue
On Golden Avenue, enforcement of hours would remain the same from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for 30 minutes on the west side of the street and two hours on the east side. The rate would increase from 25 cents for hour to 25 cents per half hour.
On Humboldt Street, the enforcement of hours would remain the same on both sides of the street from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for two hours. The rate would increase from 25 cents per hour to 25 cents per half hour.
On the east side of Irving Place and both sides of Minnie Place, the enforcement of hours for metered parking would remain the same at two hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The rate would increase from 25 cents per hour to 25 cents per half hour.
On Wilson Avenue on both sides, the enforcement would remain the same from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m for two hours, but the rate would increase from 5 cents per half hour to 25 cents per hour.
Municipal parking lots
At the municipal parking lot on Centre Avenue and Irving Place, a number of changes would occur.
Previously the lot is separated along the meridian. To the east of that, all parking spaces are enforced at 12 hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a rate of 25 cents per hour of $1.50 for 12 hours. The first four spaces north of the entrance are enforced for 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 25 cents per hour. All the spaces to the west of the meridian are enforced for 2 hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for 5 cents per 15 minutes, 10 cents per 30 minutes, and 25 cents per hour.
The changes would see all spaces except for the first four spaces north of the entrance to be enforced for four hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for 25 cents per half hour up to the first two hours, then it would be $3 each subsequent hour. The first hour spaces would be enforced the same but the rate would increase to 25 cents per half hour.
At the municipal parking lot at Paterson Plank Road across from Hubert Street School, the enforcement would remain at the same from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. but would increase from 30 minutes maximum to four hours. The rate would change from 25 cents per hour with a maximum of $2.75, to 25 cents per half hour for the first two hours and $3 each subsequent hour.
The electric vehicle charging spaces in that lot would remain the same at 24-hour enforcement of 3 hours, at a rate of $1.50 for the first two hours and $5 for the third hour. However, the enforcement would now stipulate it is enforced seven days a week.
The ordinance also denotes that the 24 hour enforcement of three hour electric vehicle parking at both the Secaucus Public Library and Secaucus Recreation Center parking lots would be enforced seven days per week. The rate would remain the same at $1.50 per hour for the first two hours and $5 for the third hour.
Paterson Plank Road
On Paterson Plank Road, on the north side between Wilson Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue, enforcement hours would remain the same at two hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the rate would increase from 5 cents per quarter of an hour to 25 cents per half hour.
On the south side between Post Place 1 and Irving Place, enforcement would remain the same from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with three metered spaces for 15 minutes maximum and 7 spaces for two hours maximum, but the rate would increase from 5 cents per quarter of an hour to 25 cents per half hour.
On Paterson Plank Road in front of 1301 Paterson Park Road to 1313 Paterson Plank Road and opposite of 1305 Paterson Plank Road to 1313 Patterson Plank Road, the enforcement would remain the same from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for two hours maximum but the rate increase from 5 cents per quarter of an hour to 25 cents per half hour.
From 1301 Paterson Plank Road to 1305 Paterson Plank Road, the enforcement would remain the same from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for 30 minutes, but the rate would increase from 5 cents per half hour to 25 cents per hour.
On the south side of Paterson Plank Road between Irving Place and Humboldt Street, the enforcement would remain the same from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for one hour, but the rate would from 5 cents per half hour to 25 cents per hour.
Also on the south side of the street, in the Plaza Business District, enforcement hours would be from 9 a.m. to now 6 p.m., changing from 6 a.m., for one hour. The rate increases from 5 cents per half hour to 25 cents per hour.
South from 1271 Paterson Plank Road to 1285 Paterson Plank Rad, the enforcement hours would remain the same from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. but would now include every day instead of just Monday through Friday. The rate would increase from 5 cents per half hour to 25 cents per hour.
Other traffic and vehicle changes
The town council also introduced another ordinance related to “Vehicles and Traffic,” that would update fire zones and add one on Park Place. This was another add-on item not present on the agenda prior to the meeting.
The public hearing for both ordinances is set for Tuesday, July 26 at 7 p.m. The Secaucus Town Council regularly meets in the council chambers at Town Hall at 1203 Paterson Plank Road. For more information, go to secaucusnj.gov.
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