Parking Changes Raise Safety Concerns

(Reprinted from Amboy Beacon, Sept. 8, 2010)

SOUTH AMBOY — Several residents raised issues of pedestrian safety during public hearings held at last week’s City Council meeting on three Ordinances to convert parking along portions of Augusta, David and John Streets into perpendicular-parking areas.However, Council members seemed satisfied about receiving state Department of Transportation (DOT) approval for the changes and voted unanimously to adopt all three measures.The Ordinance to convert a portion of Augusta Street was moved by Councilman William Schwarick, seconded by Councilman Mark Noble; the Ordinance to convert a portion of David Street was moved by Noble, seconded by Schwarick, and the Ordinance to convert a portion of John Street was moved by Councilman Joseph Connors, seconded by Schwarick. All were adopted 5-0.Former Councilman Stanley Jankowski, now a Board of Education member, noted that crews had closed the streets involved and were “doing the work already” before the Ordinances were finally-adopted.“Is that legal?” he asked.
“The city is not acquiring property; it’s just improving it,” attorney Thomas Lanza, sitting-in for his brother, City Law Director John Lanza, responded.“These plans were submitted to DOT and approved,” Mayor John O’Leary said. “We want to lower the mile-per-hour cartway through that area and create parking so it can be enforced.”The Mayor said that after getting input from City Engineer Mark Rasimowicz, it was decided to go to “straight-in parking, not angular parking.”Jankowski called the new parking configuration “an accident waiting to happen,” and cited the school down the street.“God forbid some child getting run-over by a car backing-up,” he said.“A child doesn’t belong on the street,” O’Leary declared.James Kopysyecky Jr., owner of the former Dot’s Luncheonette building at Broadway and David Street, complained that a 40-foot apron for his parking-lot behind the building was reduced to 18 feet.
“That’s not grandfathered?” he asked. “Why weren’t we notified?”“I don’t think anyone can grandfather that,” O’Leary stated. “You’ve still got the same amount of parking and the city picked-up two parking-spaces for the public.”“The new apron centers on your property,” Rasimowicz said.“It’s not a driveway; it’s a parking-lot,” Kopysyecky countered.“You can still park six cars if they go-in on a different angle,” Rasimowi cz noted.“I’ll provide the six cars, and YOU park them,” Kopysyecky stated. “Was it worth all that work just to pick-up two parking-spaces?”“The total bid-price was $190,000,” O’Leary said. “That’s an extremely-cost-effective way of creating downtown parking.”