Officials Look to Remedy Problems That Still Exist With PHS Parking Plan

Candace Braun

With few tickets but many complaints, police and Princeton Regional School officials are looking to make some changes to the new permit parking plan instituted last month on roads surrounding Princeton High School.

According to Ptl. Geoff Maurer of the Township Police Department, less than 30 tickets have been issued in the Township permit areas since the new parking system was implemented on September 13. The bulk of these tickets have been issued on residential streets, including Linden Avenue, Moore Street, Jefferson Avenue, and Harris Road, he said.

Lt. Dave Dudeck of the Borough Police reported that only 12 tickets were distributed in the Borough permit areas in September, and eight tickets in October.

"That's fairly low ... it was much higher at this time last year," he said.

School Board President Anne Burns said that in general, students appear to be parking where they're supposed to during the school day: "I think the neighborhood is happy they have their roads back during the school day."

One disincentive police have instituted to discourage residents and students from parking illegally in the new permit areas was to raise the parking ticket amount from $33 to $50 in those specific areas, said Ptl. Maurer: "We wanted [the tickets] to make more of an impact."

However, while the number of tickets issued is relatively low compared to where they used to be, the number of complaints is still up.

"It's a work in progress. I get at least one message a day ... about an unforeseen circumstance," said Ptl. Maurer, adding that various construction projects on roads in town, including sewer work on Harris Road, have limited the amount of parking that has been allotted for students and residents.

"We haven't had a lot of positive feedback," he said.

In addition, Guyot Avenue, most of which lies in the Borough, is not being used by students even though it has been designated for them. Ptl. Maurer estimated that two students per school day park on the permit area of the street.

Westminster Choir College students have also been parking on Linden and Franklin avenues, as they have college student permits and presume they qualify for those student parking spaces, said Ptl. Maurer. These students are being ticketed each time they park there, he added.

Ms. Burns said that while she hasn't received as many complaints since the new parking system has been implemented, she has heard that garbage is still being found on Houghton Avenue, a problem the ad hoc parking committee had hoped to resolve with the permit system.

Another problem the school board president said she would like remedied is the difficulty that parents are having finding parking spaces near playing fields after school. Due to permit hours ending at 6 p.m. on some roads, there is nowhere for parents to park to watch their child's games. Ms. Burns said she would like to speak again with the Borough and Township and see if the permit hours can be reduced so that they end at 3 p.m.

Some streets with extended permit hours include Moore and Jefferson streets, as well as Hawthorne and Franklin avenues.

"It is difficult for games," said Principal Gary Snyder. "[Changing the hours] would certainly help."

A meeting to discuss the looming problems with permit parking at the high school will be held by the ad hoc parking committee on October 25.