A US city is set to bring in a new parking law that will see automatic fines handed out to drivers.
New camera tech is set to be used to issue penalties for parking violations, but car owners won’t be immediately notified of their infractions and instead will receive citations by mail.
Hoboken, New Jersey, is set to bring in a new parking law that will see automatic fines handed out to drivers[/caption]
The city will begin to use automated cameras to catch drivers violating parking rules, including double parking and blocking bike lanes[/caption]
Car owners have just days to prepare as, after a public education campaign, enforcement will begin on October 1[/caption]
According to NJ, the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, will look to enforce parking regulations and improve safety and traffic flow starting next month.
The automated cameras will reportedly target a number of infractions, such as vehicles violating parking rules such as double parking, blocking bike lanes, stopping in bus zones and improper use of loading zones along Washington Street between Observer Highway and Eighth Street.
And drivers have just days to prepare as, after a public education campaign, enforcement will officially begin on October 1.
Recent stats revealed bike lanes in the city are blocked for an average of over four hours daily, while bus stops are blocked approximately 158 times per day.
Furthermore, 68 double parking violations occur daily per location, and 54% of loading zone use violates city code.
To this end, Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla has emphasized the need for action to prevent injuries or fatalities caused by illegal parking, particularly in bike lanes and crosswalks.
“Hoboken residents want a safer, more efficient Washington Street,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla in a statement.
“We cannot and must not wait for a serious injury or fatality caused by double parking in bike lanes or blocked crosswalks.”
The automated system, authorized in 2024, will capture images of violations, which will then be reviewed by Hoboken Parking Utility staff.
They will issue citations by mail to the registered vehicle owners if they see a clear issue.
A survey revealed strong backing for the initiative, with 75% of respondents agreeing double parking poses serious safety issues.
What’s more, 89% of cyclists reported regularly encountering double parked cars in bike lanes, which forces them into traffic.
Similar initiatives have been set up in cities like Philadelphia, Miami and Pittsburgh, which have seen reduced repeat violations.
This comes as drivers in NJ who once relied on a clever backstreet shortcut to dodge a daily toll were met with an unwelcome surprise during their morning commute recently.
Previously, motorists found a hidden driveway at a service area was the perfect way to avoid paying a daily driving charge of $1.15.
But the driveway has since been converted to one-way, prohibiting traffic from exiting and skipping the toll.
The hidden driveway of the Garden State Parkway’s Connie Chung service area in Bloomfield, New Jersey, was once a favored route for sneaky New Jerseyans to bypass paying the southbound Parkway toll.
This driveway connected the service area to Broad Street, allowing drivers to avoid the $1.15 toll at Exit 151 Toll Plaza.
The clever hack was first discovered after the building was closed off some two years ago for workers to complete renovations of the service area.
When the building eventually re-opened in August 2023, the driveway became two-way, allowing vehicles to enter and exit.
This gave many drivers the idea to exploit this route and dodge the toll – which authorities say caused safety concerns and increased traffic in local neighborhoods.
After the New Jersey Turnpike Authority conducted a traffic analysis, they determined that this practice not only reduced toll revenue but also posed risks to pedestrians.
As a solution, three months ago, the driveway was converted to one-way – prohibiting traffic from exiting onto Broad Street.
Can an HOA ban street parking?
Homeowners associations hold the legal rights to ban parking anywhere – even in a homeowner’s driveway, according to a lawyer.
The trick is the deed homeowners sign when they buy a home within a subdivision, says North Carolina HOA lawyer Mike Hunter.
“If you buy a home in a deed-restricted community, you’re obligated to abide by those restrictions,” he told the Charlotte Observer.
“If the restrictive covenants say you can’t park on the street, the board has the legal duty to enforce that.”
Many states are passing laws to limit the power of HOAs, though a majority of states still grant HOAs to enforce their regulations, restrictive or otherwise, however they see fit.
Read more here.
