[Reposted from our archives upon request] by: M. Murphy. A drive through Lakewood can turn hazardous for pedestrians and drivers alike when people park illegally at intersections. “Corner hugging” orparking a vehicle close to an intersection restricts the view of others trying to cross safely in the busy downtown business community. State law mandates safe parking distances from intersections and requires that all vehicles be parked 50 feet from a stop sign on all four corners and 25 feet from a known crosswalk, painted or not.
Lakewood Police Sergeant Frank Work, Traffic and Safety Division said, “People do not realize that when they park too close to these restricted areas, they obstruct the view and make a dangerous situation for others on the roadway.” He added that there are also some areas in town where parking has been eliminated for up to 100 feet from the intersections because of crash histories at the sites. These areas are marked with signs that reflect the restrictions. “For instance, 6th and Forest, and at the hill crest in town, parking distances were increased because of the amount of accidents that occurred at these locations. We know it may seem inconvenient for some, but it is important that it is safe for everyone traveling in our community,” added Sgt. Work.
The fines for improper parking range from $54.00 to $60.00. The fines are in place to discourage people from parking illegally and causing accidents that could have been avoided by simply following the state law. If an accident happens as a result of an illegally parked car, the vehicle’s driver could have some civil liability in a lawsuit because they were a factor in causing the crash.
Crash histories play a key role in how traffic is enforced thoughout the town. Lakewood ranks high in the state in the amount of pedistrian fatalities and motor vehicle accidents. The Police Department’s enforcement of the state laws help ensure the safety of Lakewood Township’s roadways for its’ residents. [TLS]
This is a very important law for people to obey.
Too many times driving in Lakewood is very hazardous because cars are parked too close to the intersection and visibility becomes impaired.
This causes cars to have to pull all the way into the intersection to see if it is safe to go, and that obviously can cause accidents.
Please keep this in mind when parking at the raintree shul. there was an accedent there a few weeks ago. People park on Lanes mill and its impossible to turn…
Those red, eight-sided signs that say STOP mean that you need to STOP! My life was in jeopardy this morning when a middle-aged male driver nearly rammed into me because he flew right past a stop sign going about 30-40 MPH. Luckily I saw him coming and braked before he crossed the intersection or else I don’t know if I would be here to type this comment now…
It would also help if the people in this town would obtain REAL NJ driver license.Maybe they would have somewhat of a clue of what to do in a vehicle.
tickets shouldn’t be given, there are signs posted everywhere stating as much, people just don’t care, their cars should be towed. If you tow enough of them maybe, just maybe people would get the hint.
I was in an accident because of this. The other driver said he jumped the stop sign because he couldn’t see. I still have pain many years later because of this…
What about double parking? Driving down Clifton Ave is a nightmare! With cars and delivery trucks double parked all over. One time I was driving down Clifton Ave when a car turned onto Clifton and the driver stopped the car on the street double parked and ran into a store, making it dangerous for everyone else who was driving.
There are also other laws that need to be addressed such as parking in front of mailboxes and fire hydrants. There is so much illegal parking in Lakewood that it makes those that follow the law wonder why they get away with it. You have a hard time going down my street because of the way people are parked. Do they seem to care ? No!
ok All Bus Drivers and Drivers starting on monday am call the Police, how about on Case rd and Arbutis.
To a:
I am sorry for your pain.
I know exactly what you mean! 2005, Carey Street and Princeton. A utility vehicle was parked AT the corner, the ladders atop the van were higher than the Stop sign and boom! Accidente!
And guess what: The van left a minute after the police arrived and a few weeks later they installed a taller Stop sign!
Not everyone can estimate the distance to the corner.Maybe the township can paint the curbs yellow on problematic corners to show drivers where they can park.
#5 the police are quite vigilant about cars double parked on clifton and that’s not much of a problem. (I’m so so sorry if it “one time” happened to you) delivery trucks is a problem that impedes traffic, but they are not breaking the law as legally they are allowed to unload and there is no other way to do it.
Are you going to pay for the paint and have someone paint the curb? Common sense and learning how to park a car is all it takes. Practice makes perfect.
There’s a UPS truck every day at Lexington corner 2nd, that corner is suicidal….
maybe if people opened their eyes and PAID attention to what they are doing they would see that the corners ARE painted yellow, people just don’t care, I see the same cars day after day parked where they are not supposed to and yet nothing gets done. Like I said before don’t issue tickets just tow the car.
The police need to be more vigilant about a lot of MV laws that are not enforced in this town including talking on the cell while driving. It blow me away how many times I’ve not only seen the avg person talking but bus drivers, town employes.
With the driving I do in one small area in Lakewood on weekdays I could easly hand out 30 tickets a day. Thats a fast $3,000 income + for the town there missing on.
The problem is that this town is so over crowded and so much traffic & not enough parking spaces that it encourages people to break the law. This has been a problem for a long time & has all these well meaning politicians done ANYTHING about this? No! Nothing! Hence lawlessness
There is just not enough parking.
Its all the township fault because its so overcrowded and no where to park that it encourages people to break the law. If you want people to keep the law figure out why everyone is breaking it and fix that issue. If you want to save some time & money I’ll give you a clue. Its because its so overcrowded & not enough streets & not enough parking spaces. Has all these well meaning politicians done ANYTHING about this?? No! Nothing! Hence lawlessness.
What about th ppl who drop their kids off at Morah’s playgroup but use the landlords’ driveway cuz they dont wanna walk the extra 15 seconds. We must think about other ppl. Its gotta come from within. We can do it. Lets start now, in the days of shovvim tat, to make a kiddush h-shem. Amein.
The town needs a big overhaul. We need traffic lights & extra parking to accommodate all the extra traffic.
Let’s face the facts, we have become a city!
According to many Poskim in Lakewood, if someone is parked illegally like this, and a driver turning the corner dents his car by mistake because of the difficulty navigating past him , they DO NOT have to pay for the damage al pi halacha since the parked car has no permission to park there……
People just don’t seem to care and look out . It isn’t anyone’s fault but your own! Attention all that daven in Satmar on Forest Avenue!!!! Its seriously dangerous for anyone driving down Forest Ave. I know it may be almost shkiah but it isn’t an excuse for careless behavior. Please don’t double park, even if someone is in the car. You don’t realize that you’re obstructing the view of drivers that are waiting by the cross streets. Don’t just open your car door without looking! Park close to the curb and far away from stop signs! Cross by the crosswalks! Forest Avenue is a street, not a parking lot!! On the way home from work I drive down 5th street and there is a dismissal for some Kindergarten. I can’t tell you how many times I almost got into an accident. Drivers just leave their car in middle of the street and pick up their kid….etc. Think about others! You may be in a rush but so am I and others! No one has to wait 5 minutes until your kids are strapped and then you finally move your vehicle!
Be careful
Whats your point??
That if you park like that you are parking at your own risk and aside from the possibility of a ticket, if someone damages your car by mistake they may not owe you a penny due to your carelessness.
That’s irrelevant to this discussion. Please pay attention to what your reading & don’t expand the issue unnecessarily.
To careful driver
That’s all due to over crowding and other issues. Its not practical to park a block away to pick up kids from playgroup. Especially these days they don’t let you leave the kids in the car alone “even for a minute” or they’ll post a picture on tls!
I’m sorry ANON! But it is no one else’s fault but our own! Lets stop blaming others! There is no excuse for the township but that still doesn’t give us the right to be negligent! Things may not be practical but, too bad! There are plenty of towns that are far more overcrowded than ours with less parking spaces too. My point is that no matter what we must pay attention to others too….it just isn’t right to be self centered.