MANASQUAN — The Manasquan Borough Council met on Monday and adopted two “quality-of-life” ordinances that prohibit late-night parking at the Manasquan Inlet and other specific locations in town and give the Manasquan Police Department the tools to, if necessary, crack down on youth loitering.
According to Mayor Mike Mangan, the youth loitering ordinance will be going into effect upon publication of this paper – while, the parking ordinances will not be enforced by police until proper signage is installed in the identified areas, with a targeted sign installation date of May 1.
Scenic locations from the Manasquan Inlet to Main Street are the most recent areas targeted in a town-wide crackdown on late night parking – part of a “quality-of-life” initiative for residents neighboring the area.
The popular Manasquan Inlet parking spaces along Riverside Drive facing the water were of specific mention, in addition to the north side of Riverside Drive from Third Avenue west to the dead end at Inlet Pavilion and Third Avenue between Perch Avenue and Riverside Drive. According to the ordinance, parking will not be permitted in the scenic area from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
In an effort to address parking for residents neighboring the Riverside Drive parking perimeters, the ordinance additionally states that the schedule “shall not apply to any motor vehicle whose license plate is registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to a property address that is located within the bounds of those streets as long as the license plate registration number has been properly filed with the Manasquan Police Department for this purpose.”
Two residents that reside near the prohibited parking area on Riverside Drive questioned the dais about the specifics of the parking crackdown. Borough Administrator Tom Flarity directed the residents, and any other residents with questions on the adopted hours, to contact him directly.
Resident Lou Hernandez, a self-proclaimed avid fisherman, said he mostly fishes at night. According to Hernandez, the hours will have an impact on anglers who travel to the inlet area to fish into the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning. Hernandez expressed his concern about fellow anglers who will now be forced to park elsewhere to avoid tickets, resulting in an overflow on neighboring streets that typically don’t see as much traffic.
“We’re trying to solve a problem that you are all well aware of mainly for the residents in that area… If it needs to be amended, if it creates a worse situation of some kind, you got easy access to us here, we’re not going anywhere and we’re not looking to hurt anybody. We’re trying to help the situation down there,” Mangan told the audience at Monday’s meeting.
The ordinance further establishes that no parking will be permitted on either side of Main Street between the hours of 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. from Route 71 to South Street.
Parking is prohibited from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on school days on the east side of Broad Street near Woodland Avenue and north to Blakey Avenue. According to Mangan, there will be no plan to change enforcement policy in regards to Broad Street parking.
“With the schools, we understand that drop off and pick up is a necessity in that area,” Mangan said.
The ordinance also prohibits parking on the west side of South Street near Church Street and Lakewood Road daily, except between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m on Saturdays and Sundays.
The parking ordinance additionally establishes prohibited parking hours on the north side of Virginia Avenue near South Street from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The ordinance concludes by establishing a $100 penalty to any person, unless received prior approval, for the violation of the hours permitted.
YOUTH LOITERING PENALTIES ESTABLISHED
The second ordinance adopted by the council established a “loitering by minors” measure, also aimed at addressing the quality of life in Manasquan, Mangan said.
Mangan explained the origin of the ordinance at its introduction in February: “We did not pull this out of thin air. We copied this from other municipalities who are doing the same thing and spoke to their police departments, I understand, to make sure it works well, which it does.”
The ordinance would make it unlawful for the parents and guardians of any juvenile under the age of 18 to knowingly permit the juvenile to loiter, which arises “when a person remains in the same place or area for no apparent reason or purpose.”
Mangan explained that the new section of the ordinance could be utilized as a tool by police to crack down on quality-of-life issues if and when they arise in Manasquan.
The ordinance further states, “Whenever any minor under the age of 18 years is arrested or taken into custody for violation of this section, the chief of police of the Borough of Manasquan, or the superior or regular officer acting in his place and stead, shall notify the parent, guardian or other person having custody of such minor of such arrest or taking into custody.”
In conclusion, the ordinance adds that if any minor is found loitering between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., it shall be presumed, “in the absence of proof of the contrary” that the parent or guardian knowingly permitted the minor to do so.
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