November 30,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Sources in the central business district continue to voice concerns that the Valet Parking is exacerbating the very parking problem it is attempting to alleviate .While Roots Steakhouse was already offering valet parking 4 additional Ridgewood restaurants have joined forces to offer valet parking to their customers.
The is issue is most acute on Oak Street were Fish Urban Dining, It’s Greek To Me and Roots have virtually monopolized most of the spaces near Ridgewood Avenue ,leaving little room for customers of retailers such as Luck Brands any available spaces to park.
Retailers have for years complained of parking access for their customers , the Ridgewood blog reported earlier this year that as early as 9am spots on Oak Street are full and now most retails report that after 430 ,because of the valet parking they can just go home .
It’s the connected vs. the unconnected.
is parking is such an issue for these business owners, why aren’t they contributing to cost of the garage?
Smaller businesses and taxpayers are just annoying mushrooms to the gods of commerce ..we should all pay extra to be in their mighty presence.
Sounds to me like we REALLY need a parking garage. If the valet services are filling the streets it means there is a fundamental capacity problem. The only way to add more capacity is to add more parking spaces and the only way to add more parking spaces is to build upward ie: Build a garage !! Problem solved, case closed !!
Last time i looked valet service does not use street parking they all seem to have use of the various lots around town. I personally have no issues parking in town you just have to be willing to walk a little.
James, can you please report how many street spots each restaurant is using for their valet system? Is it just 1 spot, or is it more than that? I believe from previous reports we’ve seen that each restaurant is paying a permit for use of that spot in front of their location. I agree there may be issues of “fairness” here, but from a cost-benefit perspective, this valet parking seems like a very good short term solution. Diners know they can just drive up to the restaurant and don’t drive around trying to look for spots. The cars are then parked remotely, I believe in private lots that are not accessible to general public. Thus, there are more “public” spots left open, and there are fewer cars driving around looking for spots.
@ 8:40 – WHAT !?!?!?!
The valet service parks cars for people who are too lazy to find spots available elsewhere and walk to their destination. The valet does not make the car disappear, they park them somewhere nearby. SO the garage will only help those restaurants or businesses in the immediate area…Furthermore, the valet crowds out other businesses because they have their own loading and unloading zone.
If the valet’s moved the cars to remote lots the system may work. But they don’t!
They take open spots on the street and monopolize those spots also.
Who is responsible for enforcing the Valet Ordinance??????????????
The valet ordinance was Robertas baby. She eats out a lot. And she hates to circle the block even once. The restaurants love her.
Went out to dinner Saturday night and once again parked at Hudson. Did not need to drive around . Walked past the valet at Fish. They seemed to have two spots blocked off.
Last Saturday as I was leaving town I passed two parking spots on Ridgewood Ave. then saw a blue mimi an with Florida plates do a U turn in front of Tito’s to get a spot.
I deeply resent being unable to find a parking space TO GO TO A STORE because restaurants have been co-opting them. Paying a fee? We should not be SELLING our public parking spaces.
Marcia Ringel-
We already do sell our public parking spaces by the hour, do we not? What’s different is selling “exclusive access” vs. “hourly access”. If “exclusive access” can generate a revenue premium over hourly meter fees, and reduce traffic circling by valet parking cars in private lots, isn’t that a win-win?
I am completly outraged
Is the Ridgewood Guild all about the restaurants? The restaurants are monopolizing the available parking spots.
Roberta – we know you read this as much as you follow residents on Facebook. What exactly is the Ridgewood Valet system? How many spots can they block? There are a few valet locations. Next to your friend’s (backers) businesses.