By Anne Levin

Princeton Council approved an ordinance Monday night amending the parking regulations on Witherspoon Street between Nassau Street and Paul Robeson Place/Wiggins Street, eliminating the free 30-minute parking in what is known as the service lane in front of Small World Coffee, Jules Pizza, and adjacent businesses.

The ordinance designates the service lane as Loading Zone Only between 6 and 10 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. Use by non-commercial vehicles during those days and hours is prohibited.

Parking is allowed in the service lane from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and from 6 a.m. Sundays to 2 a.m. Mondays. Parking will be metered for up to 90 minutes from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and from 1 to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

The rest of Witherspoon Street north of Spring to Paul Robeson Place/Wiggins Street will be metered for up to 90 minutes from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 1 to 8 p.m. on Sundays.

Payment kiosks will be installed “in appropriate locations adjacent to the service lane between Nassau Street and Spring Street, to accommodate the new metered parking regulation,” Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell wrote in a memo to Council members that is available on the municipal website. “Appropriate signs will also be erected.”

The existing 30-minute parking will remain along Spring Street and South Tulane Street, as well as in Palmer Square. Free parking for 30 minutes will continue in the Spring Street Garage.

The ordinance is designed to fix a problem that dates from the recent reconfiguration of Witherspoon Street into one-way going north, with parking
eliminated on the east side of the street. The plan that was put into place allowed free, three-minute, non-commercial parking in the service lane during loading times, so people could run into Small World Coffee and adjacent eating establishments to pick up their orders. The lane was otherwise left open for deliveries until 10 a.m, when they became available for free, 30-minute parking.

Since those rules were enacted, “use of the service lane by non-commercial vehicles during the loading zone hours has significantly restricted the use of it for deliveries to the local businesses and resulted in serious traffic blockages,” the memo reads, adding that the town’s parking enforcement department cover many streets and were not able to monitor the service land and enforce the rules.

Commenting on the ordinance before the vote, Councilman David Cohen said, “I can count on one hand the number of times I have driven down Witherspoon Street and not gotten stuck. This is a critical improvement, not just for the delivery vehicles and the businesses, but also for residents who have gone through the same frustrations I have.”

The change to a 90-minute time limit was “a great idea,” said Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros. “We floated the idea with the businesses, and they liked it.”

The use of kiosks instead of meters for payment will be an aesthetic improvement, Lambros said, adding, “I really want to encourage people to use the Park Princeton app. It’s so easy to use.”

Councilwoman Eve Niedergang said people shouldn’t feel discouraged that the initial parking regulations have not worked the way it was thought they would. “We tried something, and it didn’t work,” she said. “If it works, that’s great. If it doesn’t, let’s move on to the next option.”