Ridgewood NJ , the over looked issue for the central business district is not parking , but congestion . There are just to many choke points in the CBD. Be they caused by ill planned “traffic easing” with suicide bike lanes or PSE&G upgrades it has become increasingly difficult to get in or out of the Central Business District.
Currently West Ridgewood Ave and Godwin are almost impassable .The proposed Hudson street garage ,because of its very location will make matters even worse by limiting access via Broad Street.
Over development will only make things worse ,contrary to assurances high density housing on Franklin will further restrict traffic at the Franklin and Broad intersection , virtually cutting off the Westside from the East side of town .
Maple is difficult at best , leaving only Prospect and Oak street as possible alternatives . Currently large events in the Village take a minimum of 45 minutes to and hour to arrive and park .
It is well know that retail is a fast changing environment with most shopping now done on line . In order for stores to survive they must become “destination shops” holding events to attract customers , so traffic is only going to get worse .
The answer given by the powers that be is always ,”we need garage” and residents at the new developments will not , have kids,drive, park ,have visitors or shower.The lack of credibility makes Comedy Central look like a serious news network.
Our point is instead of pushing hidden agenda’s with ulterior motives primary pursued by developers and their friends we need a comprehensive plan that factors in moderate development, infrastructure , retail, restaurants , mass transit , pedestrians,cycles and parking .
yeah, but you do not understand.
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The goal here is NOT to serve the public by improving traffic flow.
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The goal is to reduce (and eventually kill) use of the evil automobile. One way to do that is by CREATING choke points (like those created by the bike lane) so that people get frustrated and abandon using their cars – at least in that area of town. Create enough choke points and (according to plan) people will eventually throw up their hands in frustration and abandon their cars and use public transportation.
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The CBD is a dilapidated dump with eyesores like old car dealers and the Town Garage with its toxic groundwater ploom. Look at the gold pawn shops and empty store fronts. Aren’t these the problems?
how about repaving some of the roads in the c b d . and some of the parking lots. we have lots that need repaving, cottage , hudson, walnut , I park in all the lots. and it,s been over 20,years that they have not been repaved.
Yes, it is congestion, and it’s caused by the fact that Ridgewood is split into two sides, East and West. To get from one side to the other, be it for commuting, school drop-offs, to get to highways, shops, etc., means driving through basically one portal. This is the road under the train tracks where the bike lane to nowhere is. This means that almost all this traffic is therefore channeled through the CBD streets of either Ridgewood Avenue or Franklin Avenue. So, to see all this traffic inching through town, it creates the impression that the CBD is busy, and everyone is looking for parking. They’re not. They are just passing through and it’s a miracle that we have as few accidents that we do.
Who comes up with these blogs? Does anyone put any thought into them? The parking issue goes hand-in-hand with the congestion downtown. If you can’t find a parking spot you drive around and around downtown looking for a spot and causing back ups along with double parking and parking illegally.
If you put a parking garage downtown people would have a destination to park. If people knew parking was not going to be an issue it would bring more people downtown to shop and to revitalize the area. At this point you know it’s a struggle to find a place to park so who wants to go downtown and deal with the stress of parking.
However you look at it, it’s a mess. Everyone who wants to shop or eat in downtown wants to park nearby. The first post says “throw up hands and seek public transportation”. That could be an answer with shuttle buses (Valley won’t be using a lot of theirs once they finally move) from Graydon in the winter and (?) in the summer. Other than that possibility, we have no public transportation. Those new massive housing plans MUST be curtailed to a smaller size and fewer of them. The first presenters had a good idea, but they spawned multiple copycats. We don’t have the water or the schools to support all those new tenants and students. And we need at least one of those lots on or near Broad, as well as one near the Post Office, to support employee parking. Congestion downtown is a problem but most on Ridgewood Ave are looking for CBD parking and most on Franklin are trying to get to the other side. Doesn’t anyone in Ridgewood have any expertise in town planning? Our paid employees seem to definitely need a lot of help. (the famous, and useless, bike lane)
I never have a problem parking in Ridgewood…BECAUSE I DONT GO THERE. lots and lots of great stores and restaurants within a 5 mile radius and lots of parking that I don’t have to pay for and they don’t give me a ticket! You got bigger problems than congestion Ridgewood. Time to get your head out of your arse.
As was constantly stated during the peak of the garage discussion/referendum, nobody is going to park at Hudson and Broad and walk to the movies, etc. As for long-range or even short-range planning…hahahahahahaha.
There is a big demand for parking from 6-10pm weekends to accommodate the dining crowd from oak to broad area. If the lazy diners walked 3-4 blocks they could get a parking space,
Many good spaces haven been eliminated as they are dedicated valet .
Let the restaurant owners pay for the garage,
As a long time resident I have zero interest in subsiding your business