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[quote="Cranbury Press"]Main Street parking lot debated
Thursday, November 13, 2008 3:53 PM EST
By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer

CRANBURY — A proposal to remove a Main Street parking space remains unresolved nearly a year after it was first brought to the township’s attention.

The request was made in December by dentist Stuart Alexander, who was directed to do so by the Middlesex County Planning Board, which oversees property developments on county roads, as a condition for opening his dental practice at 19 N. Main St.

The space in front of Dr. Alexander’s practice on the west side of Main Street — county road Route 535 — is even with a driveway that runs along his building to a nine-space parking lot.

Dr. Alexander told the Township Committee on Monday that the parking space created a safety issue. Cars can only make right turns out of the lot, a condition imposed by the county, but the Main Street parking space still obstructs drivers’ view, forcing them to pull into the street to see traffic heading south.

He also said the spot created a potential risk to pedestrians and bikers on the sidewalk, because cars turning into the driveway might not see them.
   ”The issue is an issue of safety — it’s pretty clear cut,” Dr. Alexander said.

Committeeman Richard Stannard said conditions at Dr. Alexander’s practice were similar to other driveways on Main Street and that removing a parking space could set a precedent for this type of request. That would exacerbate downtown parking issues, he said.

”We have the potential to lose more spaces,” Mr. Stannard said. “It’s no worse at the doctor’s than any other.”

Dietrich Wahlers, a resident in the audience, disagreed.

”I’d like to see data on that,” he said. “At four o’ clock I drive through town and one-third of the spaces are filled. There is no problem.”

Frank Marlowe, another resident, said removing the space could affect neighboring businesses, including The Blue Rooster Bakery and Cafe and A.S. Cole Son and Co. Funeral Home.

”There’s quite a cost to others,” he said. “The town was built before there were cars. The compromises are endless. Most (driveways) would not meet modern standards.”

Committeemen Wayne Wittman and Tom Panconi said the space posed a safety hazard that needed to be addressed. They said that the driveway is less than a block from Cranbury School and the municipal building making an incident more likely and that the parking space was closer to the driveway when compared to other Main Street properties. They proposed limiting parking hours for the space.

Mayor David Stout recommended that township officials speak to the county’s traffic and planning consultants to get a better understanding of their concerns.

http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/11/13/cranbury_press/news/doc491c900dc5c7c601548749.txt[/quote]

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