No parking! Council blocks students' cars from nei

[admin]

No parking! Council blocks students' cars from neighborhood


FREEHOLD — The Borough Council has adopted an ordinance revision aimed at preventing Freehold High School students from parking in a neighborhood near the school.


A permit now is required for anyone wishing to park from 7 to 9 a.m. Mondays through Fridays on Douglas Road or on Runyon Avenue between Douglas Road and Mead Avenue.

"The residents advise that due to excessive use of their streets for parking by high school students, they are unable to park in front of or near their homes," a section of the ordinance reads.

By a vote of 4-0 (Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer was absent) Nov. 19, the council amended Chapter 10 — which deals with traffic — of the borough's Revised General Ordinances. It added Section 10.29, which addresses permit parking in residential areas near the high school.

Jean Schellenger, 64, of Douglas Road supports the measure.

Although she is an educator who works as a home instruction and adult night school teacher for the Freehold Regional High School District, Schellenger said her family, which includes her husband and two adult children, has three vehicles among them.

"It is disturbing when you come home and you have to park down the street or on another street," she said.

The situation, according to her, gets worse in the spring, when the number of students turning the minimum driving age of 17 reaches its climax and the number of vehicles grows.

As part of the borough's decision-making process on whether to make the change, police Chief Mitch Roth conducted a traffic study. He subsequently advised borough leaders that these streets become filled with parked cars associated with the high school, which puts a hardship on the residents living there, according to the ordinance.

"The Mayor and Council have determined that it is in the public interest to revise said Ordinance to protect the health and safety of the public as set forth more fully in the prior Ordinance," it reads.

Seniors in the school district may apply for a permit to park on school grounds and are conditionally issued one. A criterion to get a school parking permit is attending a safe-driving training program. The applicant's parents also must attend.

The number of spaces the district has is limited and in some cases students have to share a space, alternating the days of the week when they may use it, according to district spokeswoman Ilse Whisner.

When it isn't their turn, or in the case of underclassmen or seniors not issued a permit, they apparently have to — and have been — finding another place to park.

"That's between them and their parents," Whisner said.

Nick Petruncio: [phone] or [e-mail]
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071129/NEWS01/711290304/1285/LOCAL09

[admin]

I posted this because I will be affected by this. I am very unhappy with this requirement that I may have to get a permit to park in front of my own house. In thirteen years living here, the wife and I have had very little in the way of problems due to school parking issues. Certainly not to a point where I may have to get a permit.

What bothers me the most is that the council did not get any real consensus from the people who live here. In a small town like this, there is no god reason why they did not reach out to those of us who live here first, before they acted.

The people who are affected should not have to find out about this from a news paper article. That is rude.

[fiberisgoodforyou]

First of course, the issuance of permits needs to be funded so where are these funds coming from? Are the residents of the effected streets being charged for these permits?

Is it not more reasonable to ask the HS to restrict students from Driving to school.

I will relate this to the Gov's Blue Ribbon commission on Teenage Driving, and that this is where the issue must be addressed and resolved. How about a state wide ban on HS Student from driving to School? If this was in place, the tragic lost of three Boro HS students last spring would have been avoided because these kids would have been on a school bus, not joy riding on the way home to school.

So, is the answer driving restrictions, not parking restriction.

Maybe the Mayor should consider addressing THIS Blue Ribbon Commission through Commission member and Freeholder McMarrow!

[Libyan Sibyl]

don't worry about costs, the permits will probably be window stickers, and the costs will probably be born by the first couple of tickets.

As to driving restrictions, how is the borough going to enact an ordinance that makes illegal what the students are legally allowed to do by statute?

[admin]

admin said:

I posted this because I will be affected by this. I am very unhappy with this requirement that I may have to get a permit to park in front of my own house. In thirteen years living here, the wife and I have had very little in the way of problems due to school parking issues. Certainly not to a point where I may have to get a permit.

What bothers me the most is that the council did not get any real consensus from the people who live here. In a small town like this, there is no god reason why they did not reach out to those of us who live here first, before they acted.

The people who are affected should not have to find out about this from a news paper article. That is rude.

I was wrong! My street is not affected by the permit nonsense. I really have to learn to not post before my first cup of coffee.

[fiberisgoodforyou]

admin said:

admin said:

I posted this because I will be affected by this. I am very unhappy with this requirement that I may have to get a permit to park in front of my own house. In thirteen years living here, the wife and I have had very little in the way of problems due to school parking issues. Certainly not to a point where I may have to get a permit.

What bothers me the most is that the council did not get any real consensus from the people who live here. In a small town like this, there is no god reason why they did not reach out to those of us who live here first, before they acted.

The people who are affected should not have to find out about this from a news paper article. That is rude.

I was wrong! My street is not affected by the permit nonsense. I really have to learn to not post before my first cup of coffee.

Better stop smoking TOO!!! ;D

[fiberisgoodforyou]

fiberisgoodforyou said:

Maybe the Mayor should consider addressing THIS Blue Ribbon Commission through Commission member and Freeholder McMarrow!

Teens' driving habits placed under scrutiny
Special commission hears suggestions from parents, students
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2007/1128/Front_Page/003.html

ONCE AGAIN THE BOROUGH IS SNUBBED, THE CATALYST FOR THIS BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE WAS THE TRAGIC LOSE OF THREE STUDENTS FROM FREEHOLD BOROUGH HS, YET AGAIN THIS MEETING WAS HELD IN COLTS NECK?

[casualreader]

Who cares where the meeting is being held?

Is this any reason to attack Mayor Mike for Life? Is there anything that is not a campaign issue for you?

Casually Bemused

[Libyan Sibyl]

Jackson Twsp also lost a few kids in the past year to year and a half. I'm sure that many towns can say the same unfortunate thing. Most would argue that this affects people from every town in the state, so it's not a problem specific to this town. I am sure that there are similar meetings elsewhere from Cape May to Sussex by this "blue ribbon commission." WOW - blue ribbon! <yawn>

Getting down to the nitty-gritty and what can be done locally, driving is a so-called "privilege" granted by the State. So the boro can't do much on its own. I assume that the boro is trying to enact an ordinance to discourage driving through this parking ordinance. Some towns recently enacted ordinances that kids much be accompanied by parents when appearing on a traffic ticket - or some other sort of parental notification.

In the end, the parents find out aboutbad driving through their insurance rates (this should be part of a driver's ed course, huh?) Isn't driver's ed part of the school curriculum? So, perhaps more stress should be applied in those courses - or the classic crashed car on the school lawn.

Other than wasting resources with a constant police presence from 3:00-6:00 p.m. when kids are more likely to drive, what else can be done to discourage people with valid licenses from driving recklessly? What can be done by the boro? What can be done by the State?

[Libyan Sibyl]

p.s. I loved the quotes in the article. We are conditioning our kids to invite government intrusion into our lives. One girl, instead of blaming the responsible parties, thought that the authorities should check cars more thoroughly.

This is what we do these days. Scare ourselves and invite the government to have more power and more intrusion even though we are not even sure if such intrusions make any difference.

[adefonzo]

fiberisgoodforyou said:

First of course, the issuance of permits needs to be funded so where are these funds coming from? Are the residents of the effected streets being charged for these permits?

Is it not more reasonable to ask the HS to restrict students from Driving to school.

I will relate this to the Gov's Blue Ribbon commission on Teenage Driving, and that this is where the issue must be addressed and resolved. How about a state wide ban on HS Student from driving to School? If this was in place, the tragic lost of three Boro HS students last spring would have been avoided because these kids would have been on a school bus, not joy riding on the way home to school.

So, is the answer driving restrictions, not parking restriction.

Maybe the Mayor should consider addressing THIS Blue Ribbon Commission through Commission member and Freeholder McMarrow!

I have to comment on the highlighted parts of the earlier post. I realize that for people who grew up in urban areas (especially New York's boroughs), getting your license and a car was not even thought of when you were 17 (or 18 as it used to be). In fact, still today, most kids growing up in the city don't really think about it all that much...but out here in the 'burbs, turning 17 and being able to get your license is that first step into adulthood, and it's that first taste of "freedom".

How is the high school possibly going to prohibit students from driving to school? Shall they have monitors out on the streets telling kids who pull up in cars to turn around and go home? It's just not plausible.

As far as the state banning kids from driving to school, that's even more ridiculous. If the high school isn't going to be able to realistically ban it...how is the state going to handle this? In truth, there is only one way...raise the minimum driving age to 18 or 19, thus making it impossible for most high school students to be driving at all...at least legally. Now if you want to discuss that option...we're going to get off on a totally different line of conversation.

And even though I will be viewed as a terrible person for saying so, that terrible tragedy last spring wasn't caused by these kids not being on a school bus, it was caused by the foolish and careless actions that are all to prevalent in many young teenagers today. If those kids weren't drag racing going home from school because they were on a school bus, they would have been drag racing while out with their friends on a Saturday night...and you would have had the same results. But I don't want to get off on that topic again while on this thread...

I find it interesting that Brian says his street is not a part of this new ordinance...well guess what Brian? That means that the kids will be parking in front of your house now that they can't park on these other streets.

The idea that the Borough enacted an ordinance that only affects a couple of streets around the high school seems odd. If their true concern is "to protect the health and safety of the public", why not make this ordinance enforceable on all of the streets around the high school?

As much as I would hate to make presumptions...it seems like a few people came in and complained, and the Council is appeasing them, while not truly looking at the entire scope of the problem. This would be a good question for someone to bring up on Monday night (unfortunately I have a BOE meeting again, so I will not be able to make it). If someone does bring this up, please let me know what the answer is.

[fiberisgoodforyou]

Andrew...

Why are School board meets being held on the first Monday of the Month?

How long will this persist???

[adefonzo]

fiberisgoodforyou said:

Andrew...

Why are School board meets being held on the first Monday of the Month?

How long will this persist???

While it's true that the BOE meetings in November were on the same nights as Council meetings, there was only one other meeting since March that conflicted with a Town Council meeting (back on June 18th). Due to a number of different issues, our November meetings were scheduled as they were.

This BOE retreat scheduled for tonight (another Town Council night) is not a meeting, it is a retreat for Board members where no action will be taken. It is required by law that we make the public aware of the retreat due to the fact that the entire board is supposed to be gathering together for this retreat, thus creating a quorum. But again, there will be no action taken at the retreat tonight.

There is a regular BOE meeting next Monday, the 10th, and then in January and February, we are back on the 2nd and 4th Monday's of the month.