Today I found a UR from a user complaining that this northernmost block of Front St is really a parking lot.
It seems to be a parking lot, though the center section is as wide as a street.
Should this remain a Primary Street, or be downgraded to Street?
How about downgrading to a PLR, since it’s, you know, a parking lot?
I’d feel like it was a parking lot as I drove along there.
Anything on the DOT map to show its still a collector?
Also, hard to see on mobile, but the north end of the “lot” looks kinda narrow … Is that one way in or out only?
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2013 FC has it as a Major Collector.
It has been a parking lot in appearance since before 2013.
It may, but my point is that if a road appears as a parking lot - very specifically, if it has painted perpendicular stalls - shouldn’t that override any FC purpose served. Especially if there are other suitable arterial roads nearby?
But more importantly, just from BoTG experience, driving through that block just plain felt like driving through a parking lot than any type of street suitable for any type of through-navigation.
For some additional background, it looks like Middlesex County classifies this as CR-658, and according to the straight line diagrams, the block in question is part of that route. This makes sense that the state classifies it as an major collector due to it’s county route number.
However, as PS points out, we can look to downgrade if we all agree it should be changed. The one potential hang up is there appears to be a development in the works, The Landings at Harborside. It doesn’t look like it’s complete, although several land purchases were made by the development firm, including property at 304 Front St (which is on the block in question.
SV from Smith St and Front St. still show the area as not developed, so there may be some hang up with permits. With all that said, I would be ok with downgrading to a PLR given all other collectors and arterials in the area.
Also, another thing to consider - which may or may not throw a wrench into my argument - is how does my assessment of this block compare to like a downtown Main St block, with slanted parking stalls along the side of the road, that is otherwise part of an arterial road through the area?
Case study: Palisade Ave in Englewood, NJ
I’m going to call the consensus as being on the side of not changing anything, because of the impending development and George’s last post on streets with perpendicular parking.
Thanks!
Sorry about being a late entry but in my past/current experiences with roadgeeking in general, the NJDOT stuff in Middlesex County isn’t always accurate. I know of plenty of discrepancies throughout the county (incorrect numbers: CR 689/CR 645/CR 626 in Old Bridge, missing numbers: CR 625 in Monroe) and designating CRs on roads that do not appear to be maintained by the county. Based on the Historic Aerials in this area, this area has been a parking lot since 1963. The closest thing I can find to an official log of the county roads by the county is this, no Front Street listed at all.
Mr Matt, we realize Front St is not a county road, but it also doesn’t have to be for the state to functionally classify it as a collector road, which corresponds to the Primary Street type in Waze. The question was more whether the presence of perpendicular parking stalls on either side of the road supersede that, but evidently not, which is probably the right call.