Draconian parking measures in Summit, NJ (Newark, Jersey City: apartment, rental, crime)

[diva360]

I am moving to Summit, NJ, from Austin, TX. I needed to start at my job a couple of weeks ago in Madison, and I think I found a pretty good deal on an apartment. It's the first floor of a three-family house, there's lots of light, it's about 1600 sq. ft., and there's a sun room. That's all good. My boyfriend is going to work at the new Best Buy by the Whole Foods and Target in Union, and I'll be working at a college in Madison. This area is kind of creepy and subarbany to me, but I didn't have enough time or energy to research what might have been safe in some more urban areas. So, to get to the crux of the matter, my BF and I went out to dinner at a nice place in Summit. I thought the downtown was pretty cute, if completely banal, but you know what I mean.

We drove back to our house, and it was just as easy to park on the street as it was to park in the designated spots in our driveway. I woke up in the morning to a tick1et that said that there was no parking overnight allowed in Summit! WTF! Is this some kind of weird crime prevention measure? Like if you don't have a driveway here, get the hell out of town? In my current neighborhood in TX, I think there is some character added because there are hookers and drug dealers six blocks away. I am afraid I have moved into some kind of weird suburbia that I won't be able to deal with. I have been following what people say about Jersey neighborhoods here, and there seem to be radical differences in opinion (some people say X is a war zone, some people say X is nice). Now I'm wishing I would have avoided Summit, in spite of the good deal I got, just because it seems to be so white bread. Don't get me wrong, the house I rented is beautiful and it seems to be under market value, but a lot of people on this forum seem to be afraid of neighborhoods based on 20 year old information. Help? There are so many different opinions, and I should add that my parents met me in Newark to help me find a place to live. The hotel we were staying at off the 1-9 was hard to find, and I got lost in Elizabeth a couple of times near or just south of the airport. It was urban, yeah, but it didn't make me scared. Bodegas aren't scary. Why is there so much hate for Elizabeth and Newark? According to recent crime statistics, these areas are not that bad. From what I know, Hoboken is yuppie central, and Jersey City and Union City are getting there. OK, I should shut up now, but I'll be an enthusiastic central/northern NJ resident soon. Just count me in as one of those people who would rather not deal with subarban ticket BS.

[elflord1973]

Originally Posted by diva360

I am moving to Summit, NJ, from Austin, TX. I needed to start at my job a couple of weeks ago in Madison, and I think I found a pretty good deal on an apartment. It's the first floor of a three-family house, there's lots of light, it's about 1600 sq. ft., and there's a sun room. That's all good. My boyfriend is going to work at the new Best Buy by the Whole Foods and Target in Union, and I'll be working at a college in Madison. This area is kind of creepy and subarbany to me, but I didn't have enough time or energy to research what might have been safe in some more urban areas. So, to get to the crux of the matter, my BF and I went out to dinner at a nice place in Summit. I thought the downtown was pretty cute, if completely banal, but you know what I mean.

We drove back to our house, and it was just as easy to park on the street as it was to park in the designated spots in our driveway. I woke up in the morning to a tick1et that said that there was no parking overnight allowed in Summit! WTF! Is this some kind of weird crime prevention measure? Like if you don't have a driveway here, get the hell out of town? In my current neighborhood in TX, I think there is some character added because there are hookers and drug dealers six blocks away. I am afraid I have moved into some kind of weird suburbia that I won't be able to deal with. I have been following what people say about Jersey neighborhoods here, and there seem to be radical differences in opinion (some people say X is a war zone, some people say X is nice). Now I'm wishing I would have avoided Summit, in spite of the good deal I got, just because it seems to be so white bread. Don't get me wrong, the house I rented is beautiful and it seems to be under market value, but a lot of people on this forum seem to be afraid of neighborhoods based on 20 year old information. Help? There are so many different opinions, and I should add that my parents met me in Newark to help me find a place to live. The hotel we were staying at off the 1-9 was hard to find, and I got lost in Elizabeth a couple of times near or just south of the airport. It was urban, yeah, but it didn't make me scared. Bodegas aren't scary. Why is there so much hate for Elizabeth and Newark? According to recent crime statistics, these areas are not that bad. From what I know, Hoboken is yuppie central, and Jersey City and Union City are getting there. OK, I should shut up now, but I'll be an enthusiastic central/northern NJ resident soon. Just count me in as one of those people who would rather not deal with subarban ticket BS.

Such parking rules are fairly common here. Some towns like Glen Ridge have no street parking, others like South Orange don't allow overnight street parking.

If you have a place without a driveway, you can usually get a special permit (but most people in these towns do have driveways)

If you'd like to live somewhere more urban, that's fine, but I doubt you'll find it very easy to park there either.

[Irish Eyes]

I think you'll find that wherever you move you will have to familiarize yourself with local laws, read street signs, etc. Good luck in your search.

[Obrero]

Oh look another first time poster who just happened to have an unusual issue in NJ and happened to find this site and post about it. Phuleeze.

[MaverickDD]

Originally Posted by diva360

We drove back to our house, and it was just as easy to park on the street as it was to park in the designated spots in our driveway. I woke up in the morning to a tick1et that said that there was no parking overnight allowed in Summit! WTF! Is this some kind of weird crime prevention measure? Like if you don't have a driveway here, get the hell out of town?

The prohibition against overnight parking is mostly for fire safety. Many side streets are too narrow to conduct fire fighting activities with cars parked on them.

Originally Posted by diva360

In my current neighborhood in TX, I think there is some character added because there are hookers and drug dealers six blocks away. I am afraid I have moved into some kind of weird suburbia that I won't be able to deal with. I have been following what people say about Jersey neighborhoods here, and there seem to be radical differences in opinion (some people say X is a war zone, some people say X is nice). Now I'm wishing I would have avoided Summit, in spite of the good deal I got, just because it seems to be so white bread.... Bodegas aren't scary. Just count me in as one of those people who would rather not deal with subarban ticket BS.

Don't fret over character. The hookers and drug dealers are in Summit too, (as well as former gubernatorial candidates.) It's just that they stay out of sight and are much pricier... much more than you could afford on the college pay and the pay rate at Best Buy... unless you want to hook for the money to buy. There's an idea worth considering!

Obviously, you should move out of Summit and into an area you'd be more comfortable in. Irvington comes to mind. Try it, you'll like it!

Originally Posted by diva360

...Why is there so much hate for Elizabeth and Newark? According to recent crime statistics, these areas are not that bad.

Hate is a bit of a strong word, no? Most people don't hate Elizabeth or Newark but they do hate the lawlessness that prevails there.
Reported crime may not be bad there. That's because when the authorities ignore crime long enough, the populace gets trained to know better than to bother reporting it.

[jy_2007]

two things -
1) summit is generally regarded as one of the nicest towns in that area of the state. Definitely has the most culture and best food (Westfield being the other contender).

2) the parking thing is usually a quality-of-life ordinance. It (somewhat) discourages people from having too many people living in one house, and generally improves the appearance of the neighborhood. You'll also find that multiple-unit dwellings are very controlled in NJ. Only certain areas of certain towns are zoned as such.

[RobRiguez]

First, welcome to NJ. I grew up in Elizabeth and when I moved to Edison (while not quite the white-bread suburbia you got there in Summit) its close. It was culture shock to me to deal with the rules and the way things are here but I got used to them. Hell, even the sound of crickets used to drive me crazy! lol

Give it some time and you may acclimate better than you think. Or, maybe your just a city person and not cut out for suburbia. Wont know till you give it a chance will you.

[diva360]

First off, to Maverick, I am not a troll. I've been following discussions on this site for several weeks, and I was sincerely confused and put off by the overnight parking ticket I got. I have lived in four other U.S. states in cities of some size, and have simply never encountered such an ordinance and at first had no idea about the possible rationale behind it. And I was simply noting the wildly divergent opinions of some areas of NJ, and I think it's fair to say that some posters here do, indeed, pour the extreme dislike on more urban areas like Elizabeth and Newark. I know it'll take me a little time to understand the lay of the land here from my perspective, and that's totally cool. And to the poster who complains about first-time posters reporting some unusual NJ experience, where else are such people supposed to go? This seems to me to be the most appropriate forum for doing so. Many thanks to those of you who responded with the good will and curiosity my initial posting intended to convey.

[Liz555]

Yes, like a previous poster mentioned it has alot to do with a rental community & having some control over how many people are being crammed into a rental unit. If it's a neighborhood with alot of multi-family dwellings, the car parking can get out of hand & can become a saftey issue (like fires etc). I lived for a long time in a community like that & had to call the police every time I had overnight guests & give them the lic. plate #. Hope you settle in OK.

[diva360]

Thanks, Liz, that's useful information, especially because I'll have friends coming down from upstate NY who will need to find places to park when they visit me--it's useful to know that I can get a special permit for them. Thanks! I really wasn't trying to knock suburban/northern NJ in my post, it's just that the ticket felt really weird to get based on my experiences in other U.S. cities, none of which have had those kinds of parking regulations I understand the narrow streets/fire department concerns; what I don't get is why the Summit parking ordinance is only in effect between 2:30 and 5:00 a.m. Those streets are narrow 24/7. If it's really about fires and access to narrow streets, then shouldn't the parking ordinance be in effect for more hours?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to living in NJ, as, for the most part, I've found people in Central NJ to be nice and welcoming. All I was trying to express was that I found the parking laws in Summit to be inordinately draconian and that I found some people's opinions about what constitutes urban danger to be very conservative and reactionary in nature. Everyone's mileage, of course, varies, and all best to everyone who posts here.