Councilmen Joseph Bianchi and Al Granell, a Ridge Road business owner and resident respectively, are not strangers to the horrendous parking situation on the borough's main thoroughfare. Bianchi, who owns Pal Joey's Unisex Haircutters on Ridge Road, brought up the need to address tighter parking at the Feb. 19 meeting of the mayor and council.
Between those parking near stores and bars on Ridge Road and commuters parking in the borough to take the bus to New York City, parking on Ridge Road has become a nightmare.
"It makes Ridge Road look like downtown Manhattan," said Bianchi, who became a councilman in January.
His issue with parking in the borough specifically relates to commuters from surrounding towns who park in North Arlington for free. While Ridge Road has some meters, they do not run the length of Ridge Road.
With a Master Plan update due this year and a complete revamp of sidewalks on Ridge Road due to begin any day, the borough is looking at ways to alleviate parking problems.
The last time the borough visited the Master Plan was in 2003, said Granell, a Ridge Road resident. Issues such as Cherokee/EnCap's Arlington Valley project, a 1,625-unit housing project currently tied up in litigation, and a plan to revitalize the business districts on River Road, Schuyler Avenue and Ridge Road were not included, according to Granell.
he borough's visioning committee suggested diagonal parking on Ridge Road to fix parking problems. Borough engineers at Neglia Engineering reviewed the suggestion and determined diagonal parking has a negative side. Though it would increase parking volume, it would also slow down traffic on Ridge Road, which already has a high number of cars riding on it.
The Ridge Road Streetscape project will spruce up Ridge Road, but if the borough eventually decides to implement diagonal parking, it will need to be torn up to add five feet on either side of the road to accommodate the parking, said Granell.
Adding diagonal parking did not make sense at the time, based on Neglia's comments and the delay it would have caused in the streetscape project. Depending on the cost, the council might charge for parking using machines that accept and electronically record payment by stall number. This way the borough would not need to cut holes in the pavers to make room for traditional parking meters.
An electronic parking meter box will also be used for the parking lot beneath Melray's furniture store on Ridge Road. Currently, parking in the municipal lot beneath Melray's is free. The Ridge Road streetscape plan will also address lighting in the parking lot, which has been dark since it reopened last year.
