Route 35 Parking Ban Started Then Reversed In Ortley Beach, NJDOT Says

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Signs that were being installed along part of Route 35 banning parking are being removed Tuesday afternoon after what state officials said was a misunderstanding involving a local request.

The signs read "No Stopping Or Standing," and were being installed along Route 35 in both directions. The parking ban was first shared by News 12 New Jersey Reporter Jim Murdoch on Facebook.

Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick had expressed frustration about the move.

"We were not notified at all about this," he said. "It's egregious, especially in the middle of summer."

"They need to solicit local input if they're going to take actions like this," Rodrick said.

The state Department of Transportation said the sign installation resulted from a misunderstanding.

"NJDOT had a request from a local official to install 'No stopping or standing' signs in a specific location," the spokesman said. "In our effort to accommodate the request, there was a misunderstanding on the work order. NJDOT crews are in the process of removing the signs that were installed today."

The spokesman did not identify the local official or the location that had been requested to receive the signs.

Rodrick said he wasn't sure what local official NJDOT was referring to in its statement about the misunderstanding, but said he never made a request for such signs.

It initially appeared the move would eliminate dozens of parking spaces in the Ortley Beach section, creating the potential for parking issues on side streets and in neighboring Lavallette. It was a move that in the middle of summer could have had significant consequences, especially on the weekends when the barrier island traffic swells with daytrippers and weekend visitors.

The misunderstanding about the signs comes two weeks after the NJDOT held hearings in Lavallette and Ortley Beach on its proposal to change the parking layout in Lavallette, and potentially change the traffic flow on Route 35 to create north and south lanes on both sections of the road through Lavallette and Ortley Beach, Shorebeat has reported.

Hundreds of residents came out to the hearings to oppose the plans, the Shorebeat report said.

Rodrick said he had reached out to Gov. Mikie Sherrill in the aftermath of the NJDOT meetings in Lavallette and Ortley Beach to discuss how to address safety issues along the highway but had not heard back yet from the governor's office.