A popular Jersey Shore town is reconfiguring the parking landscape and some residents are concerned. The changes would eliminate a number of prime spots close to the boardwalk and raise parking fees in some areas.
When the weather warms up and the streets in Seaside Heights fill up again with people and cars, dozens of parking spots may be a thing of the past.
This comes as the town is also set to vote next month on a plan to raise beach fees.
"It's not going to be good for congestion. It's already hard enough to park here," Ron Paton of Brick Township, New Jersey, told NBC10.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Local and county engineers are putting together a multi-stage plan that would eliminate about 60 parking spots.
Many of the spots are along Ocean Terrace which runs parallel to the boardwalk, and spots that can be found in tight street ends.
Officials say the changes starting in the spring will increase the number of handicapped spaces while improving safety for drivers and pedestrians.
U.S. & World
"Right now, the cars are parked pretty close to the intersection. It's very difficult when you're making a turn. You don't see people walking across the street until the last second," Seaside Heights borough administrator Christopher Vaz said.
Officials say there will still be plenty of other spaces to park.
The plans also call for some street ends to lose all of their parking spots. Those streets would then potentially be blocked off to vehicles.
"If it is for safety reasons, then we'll all have to roll with the punches," Heather Maloney-Plantamura of Marlboro, New Jersey, said.
Local leaders are also set to vote in December on a change to make all metered parking rates in the town of Seaside Heights uniform at $3 per hour. An increase from #2 in some spots.
The increase is expected to help recruit parking enforcement officers with higher starting salaries and will go toward new parking kiosks that may be needed.
