To the Editor:

The Princeton task force on permit parking will be holding an open forum to introduce and invite feedback on its efforts to develop a comprehensive permit parking plan for neighborhoods within walking distance of the central business district and high school, including the Tree Streets, Witherspoon-Jackson, Jugtown, and portions of the Western Section. All Princeton residents, business owners, and employees are invited to the forum, which will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16 at 400 Witherspoon Road. Participants will hear short presentations and then break into rotating smaller groups where they can raise questions and offer ideas to members of the task force.

The parking task force, led by Council member Leticia Fraga, is comprised of Princeton residents and business owners and was commissioned early in the summer. It has been developing some core principles upon which a new permit parking plan can be based and will present its recommendations to Council early in the new year. The goal is to promote a fairer, more efficient system that can accommodate the competing demands of residents, guests, downtown employees, and high school students. An expanded permitting system can help normalize on-street overnight and daytime parking regulations for residents, increasing parking capacity while recognizing the challenges and priorities of individual neighborhoods. The task force would also like to develop a plan for optimizing the use of underutilized pay parking spots and maximizing off-street parking options. Formalizing a visitor permit program to accommodate guests is also on the agenda.

The task force is also collecting feedback from residents and businesses via online surveys that can be found on the princeotnnj.gov website. Please fill out the relevant survey and come out next week to hear about the task force’s work and to make your priorities known.

Members of the Princeton Permit Parking Task Force