Parking fines doubled in Third Ward areas

BY JAIMIE JULIA WINTERS
winters@montclairlocal.news

The signs are up. A move doubling parking violation fines in certain Third Ward areas approved late last year has been implemented.

To mitigate parking shortages in the downtown area — caused by the construction of the Seymour Street redevelopment project, the closure of the South Willow and South Fullerton parking lots and street closures — the governing body created a Special Parking Zone. 

Parking violations will now result in doubled fines, from $30 to $60, and up to a maximum of $500.

Signs went up last week indicating the special parking zone and that fines will be doubled for any violation.

The Special Parking Zone areas include South Fullerton Avenue from Hawthorne Place to Bloomfield Avenue; Gates Avenue from Bloomfield Avenue to Hawthorne Place; Claremont Avenue from North Fullerton to Greenwood avenues; Hawthorne Avenue from Gates to South Fullerton Avenue; North Fullerton Avenue from Bloomfield Avenue to Claremont Avenue; Greenwood Avenue from Claremont Avenue to Lackawanna Plaza; and Lackawanna Plaza from Greenwood to Bloomfield avenues.

Councilman Sean Spiller proposed the zone after third ward residents complained of parking violations on their street. “People should park lawfully. We had issues with people illegally parking on the street,” Spiller said in November about the zoning.

The South Willow and South Fullerton parking lots contained a combined 100 metered and permit parking spaces.