Store Owners: Parking Ban Will Curb Business

Some might call a narrow stretch of Central Avenue near the corner of Elmwood Terrace in West Caldwell a bit of an obstacle course as traffic navigates by vehicles parked on both sides of the county roadway, but a proposed parking ban would turn the area into a "racetrack," residents and business owners said this week.

Those in the area believe a ban recommended by Police Chief Michael Bramhall at last week's council meeting that would restrict parking on the northbound side of Central Avenue between Miller Street in Caldwell and Elmwood Terrace in West Caldwell will encourage motorists to speed through the area even more and would hinder business to the group of storefronts that already has one vacancy.

"If you don't allow parking, you're going to open it up to a racetrack," said Angelo Caruso, owner of Central Barber Shop for the past 43 years. "I don't know who has a vendetta against us, but we already have a store empty here. If we lose business, how can we survive? This is our livelihood."

A study conducted by the police department and Asif Mahmood, principal engineer of Essex County, revealed the county roadway measures 34 feet wide, compared to the current standard of at least 39 feet to allow parking on both sides of a street, Bramhall said.

Considering the majority of the 14 accidents that have been reported in the last five years have occurred heading northbound, Bramhall recommended the ban on that side of the roadway. In addition, the restriction would alleviate a sight restriction drivers have while exiting Elmwood Terrace, the chief said.

It was a recommendation Mayor Joseph Tempesta and Council President Joseph Cecere opposed because of its potential negative effect on the businesses, which have already collected a lengthy list of customer signatures against the parking ban. But the chief's proposal had the approval of councilmen Richard Otterbein, chairman of the public safety committee, Rosemarie Sutherlin, Stanley Hladik and Thomas O'Hern.

However, those in the area are fearful that eliminating parking on the northbound side will result in drivers accelerating even more as they come out of the bend in the roadway just past Miller Street. 

"If they take away all the parking on Central Avenue [northbound], when the people come around that bend they're going to pick up more speed," Caruso said. "I have elderly people who cannot walk. They're going to have to park across the street, so they can get hit by a car? What about the kids that come here?"

"If there are no cars parked, they are going to go even faster," one customer interjected as he was getting his hair cut. "Those cars parked there slow people down. What's going to stop them?"

Some believe the installation of speed bumps, a flashing light cautioning motorists to slow down, more speed enforcement by the police department or lowering the current limit of 35 miles per hour as more viable solutions than the parking ban.

"It's a speeding issue. It's not the size of the street," said John Seragusa, who has lived adjacent to the businesses for more than a decade and was even hit while getting into his vehicle several years ago.

"Coming around that bend, they go in the opposite side of the street. They should put in a flashing light on this bend. They have new ones with the hood that won't flash in the house. If they're concerned about money, I'll donate it. I'll get people to donate for a flashing light."

The alternative to the northbound parking ban would be to place a restriction on the southbound side, Bramhall said last week. 

It's an option Tempesta suggested for a six-month trial, but would require a restriction for a much longer distance—Elmwood Terrace to Farrington Street in Caldwell—due to the bend in the roadway, Bramhall said.

Marcos Deoliveira, a resident on the southbound side of Central Avenue since 2005, said that's still not going to solve the problem.

"The speed is causing more accidents. I've seen a couple of them," he said. "People hit cars parked on the sides of the street. It's kind of rough to cross the street. I don't think the problem is with the parking. I think the problem is the speed. I think the speed should be reduced or speed bumps that could slow the traffic down should be put in."

Bramhall said speed was one of the variables included in his report to members of council. However, several attempts to obtain that report this week were unsuccessful.

Some said if the police enforce the speed limit for a period of time, drivers will get the message.

"The problem is the speeding," Caruso said. "If you cut down on the speeding—put a police car out here—and the problem will be solved. If you cut down on the speeding, you would have no more accidents here."

The most recent accident reported was back in January when a vehicle trying to make a left turn out of Elmwood Terrace collided with a car traveling northbound on Central Avenue.

Allan Soriano, owner of AJ's Lunch Box at the corner of Central Avenue and Elmwood Terrace for the past four years, believes other options should be considered, including restricting left turns out of the side street.

"There has to be a different solution. Whether it be a no left-hand turn out of Elmwood or something besides the no parking," he said. "Being a small business owner, these four, five or six spots over here are pretty important, especially when people come in—they want to be in and out of here.

"If somebody wants to come here for a pack of cigarettes or coffee and they can't park here, they're going to drive down to 7-Eleven where there's a regular parking lot."

According to Bramhall, there is enough room for three cars to park in front of the businesses. But even just those few spaces are invaluable to the businesses, according to Eddie Yang, owner of Central Cleaners for the past five years.

"This is a local business," he said. "If people have a hard time parking and finding a spot, they have to carry things when they're dropping off or picking up for a block or so, especially older people, that's going to be hard. Customers have been asking me if I got the letter or if I heard about the parking. They're all worried, because they care about me and my business."

Residents and business owners, who were notified of the potential ban in a letter delivered last Wednesday, said they plan to attend council's next meeting on Tuesday night when Otterbein is expected to introduce an ordinance to ban the northbound parking. A public hearing will then be held in April.

"We don't have our own parking lot. Our only parking is out front," Yang said. "What do they think about us? They don't want us to be in business."