The parking situation is so bad that on the weekends you have to either park on the side streets a block away from the Boulevard or sneak into the private parking lots and do your business quickly so you don't get towed. Having talked with many a business owner in town, they are just as frustrated because patrons can't get to certain restaurants on busy nights or during the day, give up and go elsewhere. Now that Hasbrouck Heights is getting new restaurants and shops that can compete with places like downtown Ridgewood and Rutherford and the Malls, patrons are always frustrated because they have to park blocks away and its easier to go someplace where they can park.

The karate place and others should warn their customers about the parking issue. There definately needs to be enforcement as well. That section of the Boulevard from Franklin to Jefferson is a mess and a serious safety concern. People that frequent the karate place block the street and park in the yellow areas. People park in the bus stops and no one ever seems to care. This happens every single day, over and over. If people were ticketed, maybe others would get the message.

Another issue is the amount of people that walk/job in the street. Sometimes you see them two and three deep on streets like Burton or Oak Grove. They don't move for cars and that can create a safety concern, let alone they are a target at any point. I see people jogging on the Boulevard where it's busy and they're in and out of the parked cars, not very smart. But again, without enforcement people feel entitled to do what's best for them.

I agree the parking can be terrible but I think a lot of the problem rises from cars that are parked for hours, I don't know where those people are, what they are doing or why they never get a ticket but I know for a fact that I have circled the Boulevard a number of times - left and come back and the same cars are in the same spot. While on the subject of parking why are there so few handicapped parking spaces on the Boulevard? It makes no sense to me that there is a spot at the end of the Boulevard near Williams Ave where there aren't any stores or offices and our merchants are loosing business because a handicapped person cannot get a spot. I think we have a lot of really good restaurants in town but I also think before allowing these restaurants to open the town council should have realized there would be a parking problem. Not everyone walks to the restaurants whether from town or those who Come from other towns.

It is what it is. There is only so much street available. The problem with Hasbrouck Heights is that the people who shop in town are lazy. They want to park directly in front of the store they are visiting and if they can't find parking there, then they complain that there is no parking. What's wrong with walking a block or 2 to get your "Healthy" Fast food? In this particular article, the writer mentions specifically the area between Franklin and Jefferson. True that one block area may be jammed due to a business being successful. (kudos to the successful businesses!) So park near Kipp by the Church, where there is Always ample parking in the evening and walk 1 (ONE!) extra block. It will take Literally 1 extra minute. Less time than it took to write the article complaining about the parking. That's the problem. Not the parking, but the laziness in the community. When I was growing up in Hasbrouck Heights, we used to walk to the Boulevard from everywhere in town, we never drove to the boulevard. The Boulevard didn't get farther away people.... No offense intended to the writer of the article, it seems to be the common perception of people that there is no parking. Whereas the truth is that there is plenty of parking, it's just not directly in front of where you want it to be all of the time. So plan ahead, like you would when shopping at the Mall... and enjoy the small, hometown shopping experience. It'll be worth the extra block walk.

okay so parking is at a premium. so what do you do? well for starters, limit the time. make it an hour or 2 hour parking only. but if you do this you need a patrolman to be walking the section of the boulevard to check to see if someone is parking longer than they are supposed to. maybe a parking enforcement officer. maybe meters. how many of those spaces or being used by business employees? AN AWFUL LOT TO CONSIDER. do you really think the mayor and council can handle this?

There is a 2 hr. limit on the Blvd., and several spaces up the side streets.
How would the 20 min. spaces improve the situation (while I do agree it would be helpful), you would need a parking enforcement officer on the beat 12 hrs. a day. Where would the money come to pay this officer? Its the same as in super market parking lots, malls, etc. Everyone wants to park right up front, but once you're in the stores, they don't mind walking the aisles for hours. Also then you have the "space hogs" who take up 2 spaces by parking in the middle of both spaces, this occurs constantly on Franklin Ave. especially by one truck owner who's there everyday, probably commuting to work. He/she is legally parked in a zone o.k. for all day, but the person always takes 2 spaces..
Parking has been a sore point in town for several years. Sometimes we have to park on the Blvd. to visit our family on Franklin Ave. We just keep an eye on the clock, and also see occasionally if a space opens up on Franklin. There are many solutions, but each one brings w/ it just as many questions, who would pay for installing meters, collecting the proceeds? Angle parking on one side of the Blvd. would afford more space, but cause traffic problems. We need a municipal parking lot. One repair shop in town is for sale, If the town bought it, about 15 - 20 spaces would be created.
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John Cappadona

We had a parking enforcement officer, it did nothing as he only worked during the day. The problems on the Boulevard are when business' are open and thriviing, lunch, dinner, and weekend times. The idea of an officer walking the beat would be great. An officer could be on patrol walking up and down the Boulevard, people would know this and think twice before blocking roads and parking illegally. While it's one thing that the karate place does good business, the problem is that he isn't equipped to handle parking. Something needs to be done there, there are way too many vehicles simply breaking the law when it's busy there. I agree with the comment about people being lazy, I walk the Boulevard at times and notice that intersection, where the karate place, is very busy, yet one block away near Kipp, there are plenty of spots. People are lazy, bottom line.

I have to agree with the Laziness comment. Last summer, while on a get healthy kick, my friend and I did a little experiment. Using our pedometer we found out that when we parked at the mall near the Best Buy and walked to the Macys, Something we do all the time, it was the same number of walking steps as if we were to Park at the town lot on Central ave and walk to Loveys, something we would never even consider doing. Interestingly enough, before our experiment, we would not even consider parking as close as the travel agency on Kipp, let alone the lot on Central and walking to Loveys; we would simply circle the block until we found a spot closer. But after this experiment, we realized it was all in our perception. We noticed that while shopping at the mall, we had no issues with parking and walking, but while parking in town, for some reason, we needed to park right in front. Perhaps the town should start a campaign to change people's perceptions of distance and remind them that an extra block walk is not a bad idea. Remind people that there is a municipal lot within walking distance. I bet you will find many spots well before you reach the lot, if you should only care to walk an extra few feet....

In a related note: The distance from Walter ave, next to the Wells Fargo bank to the RIte Aid Battery display, is the same number of steps as it is from one of the middle parking spots at The Home Depot parking lot to their Battery display.... Now you know...

Walking is fine, when people have time, but no one is going to walk from the municipal lot to any of the fast food places for pick ups. That's a whole seperate issue there.

The people sending their kids to the karate school all huddle around so they can sit in their cars and be close to the building. They park in the yellow curbed areas and there is also a problem in this area with people parking in the bus stops. Better signage and painted lines in the road might help this? But there is no substitute for enforcement. People need to be put in their place and maybe it will change?

With regard to the karate school, the parking requirement is based on the type and size of the use. The square footage of this space is rather large and a school such as this should have dedicated parking much like any other school , I would think. Was this taken into consideration before this use was allowed and by whom?

One thought here, sometimes the people who are at the TKD school also stop in at the fast food places to eat, or take out dinner when their child is done w/ their lesson(s). The restaurants in the immediate are benefit from the school's success in this way too. We sometimes take our grandchildren, and stop at the pizza place(s) to get a lice, or take out a pie. Let's not be too harsh on the school, his crowd eats too! For the illegal parkers, all I can say is they're taking a chance. If they they get ticketed, they'll probably say it was only for a minute.
John Cappadona

Keep complaining and a politician will come up with the idea of having parking meters on the Boulevard. It's a money maker, plus all those over-extended meter times mean parking tickets that would provide valuable tax relief for the town.

Parking meters have been suggested, and shot down in the past. The money they bring in may be offset by the cost of an enforcement officer.

The parking problem is nothing new. I have been in business in this great town for over 30 years and these rumblings have always been present. The ionmprovements to the Boulevard as well as the increase in restaurants, have elevated the conversation. Understand that restaurants are also an improvement. As Westwood did years ago, thought shoud be given to a private parking authority backed by the Borough to develop parking lots behind the businesses. Westwood thrives because of this. This needs the full support of the governing body as the authority in Westwood needed and received. Westwood was dying-not anymore. Sometimes the best ideas are "stolen" not created.

I have a client in Westwood and the writer "BF" is 100% correct about the success of the Westwood area. The difference is like night and day between Hasbrouck Heights and Westwood.

The irony is that Hasbrouck Heights actually has more going for it in terms of access to major highways, public rail and air transportation, hotels, etc.

"As Westwood did years ago, thought should be given to a private parking authority backed by the Borough to develop parking lots behind the businesses. Westwood thrives because of this."

The Blvd in this town is wide enough to have angle parking lines which would allow more vehicles than straight ahead curbside parking. But I suppose officials didn't like the idea of vehicles backing out into moving traffic that would also disrupt the flow..