Overnight parking in SO

Did you know SO does not allow overnight parking?  I've lived here for a decent # of years and did not know SO has a town-wide ban on overnight parking. My street signs do not say so, and my street does not have a 2 hour limit either. Apparently SO is one of those towns that has signs at entry points to the town which indicate overnight parking is forbidden. I can honestly say I've never seen one of these signs. 

What do you guys make of this enforcement mechanism?  To me, it's a cheap way for the town to take people's money. 

An out-of-town friend got a ticket a few weeks ago for overnight parking. My driveway was full and I made an honest mistake telling him it would be okay.  I submitted a dismissal request and was denied. No explanation given. I'd fight it in court on principle but the ticket is in my friend's name and he lives far away. 

if any powers-that-be are reading this--stop stealing people's money. I pay more than enough taxes to live here. This is not cool. I'm sure I'm not the first person to make this honest mistake. If you want to enforce no overnight parking then street signs should reflect it. Not some obscure sign that no one reads when they enter South Orange. 

Stuff like this makes people hate government. it adds up a little by a little and then you get Trump. Just sayin. Rant over. 

Anyone who claims to have lived here for more than a short period of time and is not aware that on street parking is not allowed between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. must have been living in the dark ages or with Donald Trump.. Bans on overnight parking are the rule rather than the exception in most towns in our area, so why should discovery of this be a revelation.  Take a look at the regulations in Maplewood, West  Orange and Millburn.  Maybe the complainant above should take a little interest in the regulations where he or she lives rather than rush to complain.

Man, how can that be new to you?  It is everywhere and frequently comes up on all of these discussion boards.  It helps the police keep an eye on things, among other reasons.

Take it easy, haters. I admitted to making a mistake. 

Bigger question is:  do you agree w this enforcement mechanism?  i.e. obscure "no overnight parking" signs at town entry points. 

I could care less if every town does it this way. Have you considered every town might be doing it wrong, and maybe SO should be better than that? 

hey, why don't we take down speed limit signs on every block and just put 1 sign per neighborhood that says 25 MPH. would you guys be cool with that? 

As mentioned the rule applies to most towns in NJ and is well known. I do not want a bunch of ugly signs cluttering the streets and they are mostly not needed.

every street in SO has some variation of parking sign. 2 hour.  Alternate side. Permit parking. etc. 

clarifying "no overnight parking" would not require putting up incremental street signs. It would require updating existing signs to clearly communicate overnight parking is not allowed. 

Gilgul said:

As mentioned the rule applies to most towns in NJ and is well known. I do not want a bunch of ugly signs cluttering the streets and they are mostly not needed.

Picked at random. Not a sign in sight.

I'm fascinated by the pushback to my suggestion. 

Let's say I moved to SO from out of state and my brother helped me move and parked on street overnight, then got a ticket. You guys are cool with this?  

"Welcome to South Orange, that'll be $60! Oh you didn't see the obscure sign somewhere on South Orange Ave on border with Newark, oh well SUCKS TO YOUR ASSMAR. Enjoy spending your time filling out dismissal form which might get denied anyway." 

LOL okay, got it.  Maybe I'll pay this stupid ticket in pennies and make em count it out. 

your screen shot of 1/2 of 1 block is supposed to prove to me South Orange streets are devoid of parking signs. Come on. 

Gilgul said:

Picked at random. Not a sign in sight.

You can call SOPD for permission to park on a case-by-case basis overnight on occasion and you'll not be ticketed. Not regularly, but occasionally.

Pay the ticket and call in the future.

Different part. Still no signs.

Right, I get that now. 

But I'm fairly annoyed my dismissal request was denied since it was first time this happened. Call me naive but being a law-abiding tax payer who made one honest mistake warrants 1 get-out-of-jail-free card. Especially since the person who's name on the ticket lives out of state and won't realistically come back to contest a $60 fine. 

in any case, my post is more about the bigger picture. I think existing parking signs should be updated to indicate "No Overnight Parking".  isn't that more logical than obscure signs at town entry points?  (Gilgul stop trolling me w this nonsense. I'm advocating updating existing parking signs, not putting up new ones). 

jimmurphy said:

You can call SOPD for permission to park on a case-by-case basis overnight on occasion and you'll not be ticketed. Not regularly, but occasionally.

Pay the ticket and call in the future.

There is no "existing sign" on my street.

ignorantia legis non excusat

jimmurphy said:

You can call SOPD for permission to park on a case-by-case basis overnight on occasion and you'll not be ticketed. Not regularly, but occasionally.

Pay the ticket and call in the future.

Handling of this has been changed from SOPD to S.O. Parking Authority.

What's your point?  

unless you live in some rural part of South Orange I've never visited, I posit your street is no more than a 1/4 mile from a parking sign. so anyone who parks on your street can find the nearest parking sign and logically assume that rule applies to your street as well. THAT sign should say "No Overnight Parking".  What's the argument against my proposal other than inertia cuz "everyone else does it this way".

jimmurphy said:

There is no "existing sign" on my street.

This "parking authority" is suspect. They seem to collect meter money and then charge $5. for our house guests to park overnight in a lot that may or may not be accessible to your home. On top of that, the overnight parking rule in not equitably applied. If you have no driveway or garage for one extra car you are penalized. Then there are parking permits, not clear how those are distributed. Does the parking authority get money for those also? How much does the town get? Very shady. 

It is not shady just because you don't understand it completely.  I think if the car in question belonged to the OP the ticket may have been dismissed.  The advantage of empty streets between 2 and 6 is that it helps the police spot cars that shouldn't be there.

I'm glad I'm not alone. 

realistically what SO and other towns in NJ with this shady system are doing is collecting unofficial taxes. 

"Oh you didn't know--just pay the fine and call them next time".  How about they update parking signs to clearly communicate local parking rules and stop stealing people's money! Crazy concept, right....

annielou said:

This "parking authority" is suspect. They seem to collect meter money and then charge $5. for our house guests to park overnight in a lot that may or may not be accessible to your home. On top of that, the overnight parking rule in not equitably applied. If you have no driveway or garage for one extra car you are penalized. Then there are parking permits, not clear how those are distributed. Does the parking authority get money for those also? How much does the town get? Very shady. 

They aren't stealing your money.  I wish you would stop hating on the town, especially because you called me a hater.

Unofficial taxes are the definition of stealing money. I'd love to know how much $ has been taken from pockets of visitors to South Orange/other NJ towns in this manner. easily in the millions$ state-wide, i'd bet. 

this isn't about SO. I just happen to live here. I'm hating on this system of enforcing parking rules communicated on obscure signs no one reads. Every town that does this = shady. South Orange one of many. 

FilmCarp said:

They aren't stealing your money.  I wish you would stop hating on the town, especially because you called me a hater.

0dollars2cents said:

What's your point?  

unless you live in some rural part of South Orange I've never visited, I posit your street is no more than a 1/4 mile from a parking sign. so anyone who parks on your street can find the nearest parking sign and logically assume that rule applies to your street as well. THAT sign should say "No Overnight Parking".  What's the argument against my proposal other than inertia cuz "everyone else does it this way".

jimmurphy said:

There is no "existing sign" on my street.

There's no logic in that premise.  Because I see a no parking sign on some street a few blocks away, I'm supposed to assume it applies to mine also?  Um, no.  And so if you slap some random no overnight parking mention there as well, I'm supposed to think that also applies to me?  Again, no. 

You live here.  You should be familiar with the rules.  It's not the town's job to advertise every line of municipal code on billboards at every entrance to town. 

Yes, they could have let him off, as happened to me when I first moved to Mwd, but I was working in the empty (literally) house at 3AM with all the lights on... they knocked, explained, and I moved the car into the empty driveway.  But they assuredly don't have to, and they haven't been as kind on another occasion when I simply forgot.  I paid it.  I'm sure if you were sitting on the front step they would have just asked you to move it (though if it's the SOPA, then maybe not, but PD aren't out to get anyone).

all of your concerns can be addressed by updating existing parking signs to say "No Overnight Parking in South Orange". 

u guys really love these obscure signs at town entry points. bizarre. 

ctrzaska said:

0dollars2cents said:

What's your point?  

unless you live in some rural part of South Orange I've never visited, I posit your street is no more than a 1/4 mile from a parking sign. so anyone who parks on your street can find the nearest parking sign and logically assume that rule applies to your street as well. THAT sign should say "No Overnight Parking".  What's the argument against my proposal other than inertia cuz "everyone else does it this way".

jimmurphy said:

There is no "existing sign" on my street.

There's no logic in that premise.  Because I see a no parking sign on some street a few blocks away, I'm supposed to assume it applies to mine also?  Um, no.  And so if you slap some random no overnight parking mention there as well, I'm supposed to think that also applies to me?  Again, no. 

You live here.  You should be familiar with the rules.  It's not the town's job to advertise every line of municipal code on billboards at every entrance to town. 

Yes, they could have let him off, as happened to me when I first moved to Mwd, but I was working in the empty (literally) house at 3AM with all the lights on... they knocked, explained, and I moved the car into the empty driveway.  But they assuredly don't have to, and they haven't been as kind on another occasion when I simply forgot.  I paid it.  I'm sure if you were sitting on the front step they would have just asked you to move it (though if it's the SOPA, then maybe not, but PD aren't out to get anyone).

How often have you seen one or more motor vehicles  parked overnight on your street?  My guess would be not often. This should give you some clue that just maybe there is some reason why cars are not parked there overnight with any frequency.  Rather than assume that you know the rule regarding conditions under which overnight parking might be permitted, it might have made more sense to call the appropriate department in your town (parking authority for SO), explain the situation, ask what the proper procedure would be, and advise your guest accordingly.

You ask for opinions regarding the appropriateness of having the no parking overnight policy in SO. I don't live in SO but I do live in a town with this policy and I support the policy.  This is a public safety issue primarily with some quality of life issues thrown in.  It really isn't that difficult to call and ask for permission to park on the street when your driveway is being repaved or you have overnight guests.  There is no charge in this case and the police are then notified of the license plate and location of the vehicle, helping to increase safety for all of us. Paying to park overnight in a municipal or private lot is a completely separate issue.

Your suggestion to post "no overnight parking" signs throughout town would result in an added expense for the town, money that in times of tight budgets could be better spent; and could lead to confusion as to just what area is governed by any one sign. IMO, not the best approach to take.

I get that you are upset that your guest was hit with a parking ticket because you provided incorrect information.  Perhaps you should offer to pay the ticket yourself even though it is issued in your friend's name. 

of course I will pay the ticket on behalf of my friend.

again issue here isn't public safety. it's communication. 

do you think it makes sense for obscure signs at town entry points to communicate parking policy?  yes/no question 

do you think new residents who just moved to SO deserve to get a ticket before they figure this out? yes/no question 

the real reason towns like SO don't update local parking signs has zero to do with cost of the sign. it's because they would lose access to millions of $ (in aggregate across NJ) of unofficial taxes.

joan_crystal said:

How often have you seen one or more motor vehicles  parked overnight on your street?  My guess would be not often. This should give you some clue that just maybe there is some reason why cars are not parked there overnight with any frequency.  Rather than assume that you know the rule regarding conditions under which overnight parking might be permitted, it might have made more sense to call the appropriate department in your town (parking authority for SO), explain the situation, ask what the proper procedure would be, and advise your guest accordingly.

You ask for opinions regarding the appropriateness of having the no parking overnight policy in SO. I don't live in SO but I do live in a town with this policy and I support the policy.  This is a public safety issue primarily with some quality of life issues thrown in.  It really isn't that difficult to call and ask for permission to park on the street when your driveway is being repaved or you have overnight guests.  There is no charge in this case and the police are then notified of the license plate and location of the vehicle, helping to increase safety for all of us. Paying to park overnight in a municipal or private lot is a completely separate issue.

Your suggestion to post "no overnight parking" signs throughout town would result in an added expense for the town, money that in times of tight budgets could be better spent; and could lead to confusion as to just what area is governed by any one sign. IMO, not the best approach to take.

I get that you are upset that your guest was hit with a parking ticket because you provided incorrect information.  Perhaps you should offer to pay the ticket yourself even though it is issued in your friend's name. 

Perhaps our towns should make an orientation packet available to new residents that could be distributed by realtors (for home owners) or landlords (for renters) that would indicate basic information of interest to new residents. That could help inform new residents on basic sources, regulations, services to help them settle in to their new home.  Overnight parking regulations could be one of the subjects covered.

In my experience you have to have a good reason for calling in overnight parking. If you say it's for a guest, u get charged $5. You have to make stuff up, like dead battery, or your kid's inspection lapsed and he needs to keep his car in the driveway. If u have ample space on your property, no problem. If you don't, then it's a hassle.

annielou said:

In my experience you have to have a good reason for calling in overnight parking. If you say it's for a guest, u get charged $5. You have to make stuff up, like dead battery, or your kid's inspection lapsed and he needs to keep his car in the driveway. If u have ample space on your property, no problem. If you don't, then it's a hassle.

That's not my experience at all. I call in all the time, never denied, doesn't cost me a penny. They are always very friendly.

this would be better than current system.

but I still struggle to understand why existing parking sign infrastructure should not be leveraged to accurately communicate overnight parking policy. isn't that the entire point of parking signs? 

why does overnight parking get treated differently from other parking rules? 

all this pushback and no one has addressed this central point!

joan_crystal said:

Perhaps our towns should make an orientation packet available to new residents that could be distributed by realtors (for home owners) or landlords (for renters) that would indicate basic information of interest to new residents. That could help inform new residents on basic sources, regulations, services to help them settle in to their new home.  Overnight parking regulations could be one of the subjects covered.

In order to be enforceable, there would have to be a sign on each side of every block on every street.  There are signs when you enter South Orange that there is no overnight parking.  Your broker/landlord should have told you when you closed/moved in.  Also, you're not a new resident at this point - stop blaming the world for your mistake.