Editor’s note: The opinions here are the author’s, and do not necessarily represent those of this publication.
Back in September 2016, myself and my son attended a meeting hosted by Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty and Councilman Stefan Armington that intended to propose a possible solution to the ongoing issue of restricted parking in the vicinity of Morristown High School.
The meeting included several residents of streets that are in close proximity to Morristown High School.
The vast majority of the residents in attendance were reasonable and receptive to some sort of plan that would accommodate more parking for MHS students, while maintaining quality of life for the surrounding neighbors.
Sounds pretty simple, and you would think that cooler heads would prevail, but a plan could not be worked out.
That night, Mayor Dougherty and Councilman Armington put forth their proposal for discussion. The idea was to issue 50 permits, across 10 different streets (no more than 5 per street), as a pilot program to see if it were a manageable and reasonable solution that worked for all.
And although the proposal seemed to be very well thought out and “fair” to all involved, there were two or three residents in attendance that were entirely opposed and declared that nothing should be offered as a concession to the current two-hour parking restriction.
That restriction was put into place a few years past, solely to limit kids from parking near MHS. Once again, catering to a very small portion of the surrounding population that took issue with having MHS kids park on their streets.
So the loudest voices, yet the smallest population, dictate policy. These vocal neighbors take issue with there being so many kids in the area. Think that through, you buy a house near a public high school that has been open in its current location for 99 years and you don’t like that there are so many kids around?
Here we are several months later, and to my knowledge, the Mayor’s very reasonable proposal has not advanced one bit. In fact, last week additional two-hour parking signs were erected on streets that kids had been parking on.
So now there is at least a half-mile radius around Morristown High School that all but bans MHS kids from parking on public streets. In that same half-mile radius, there are thousands of available parking spots, yet 90 percent sit empty all day.
These latest restrictions were a direct result of the meeting that night. In fact, they were the only action items taken. So a community meeting to improve the situation actually made it worse.
If you ask enough people, the finger pointing is endless. No one entity “owns” the problem or is willing to offer a solution. I would ask that the appropriate leadership from Morristown, Morris Township, Morris Plains, the Morris School District and the Morristown Parking Authority put aside their differences and work on a solution that best accommodates all who are impacted by this situation.
Get in a room and get it done. It’s ridiculous that the kids have to park a half-mile from the school or face a $47 parking ticket.
I’m confident that as a community we can do better.
Respectfully,
Ed Thornton
Morris Township
