Downtown resident street parking

Submitted by VelvetTush t3_yr2ing in jerseycity

“its a CITY y do u need a car?!?”

I know. I’ve been in JC for a few years and got rid of my car. Now, I’m flirting with a new (attractive) job opportunity but I def can’t make it happen without getting a car.

I’ve been looking at monthly garages and already know they’re priced around 300/mo

So, how impossible is it to find street parking downtown during the week? Reasonable transportation costs would be a make or break for if I take this job.

I live between grove and exchange place paths, for reference

EDIT: for context on whether the job is worth it with a car:

That’s the calculation I’m doing now. The pay bump is intriguing and would increase annually (guaranteed). So the money more than covers parking costs. Also, ancillary benefit of being with a reputable company that can add a lot of value to my career.

There’s also draw backs, bc I like my current spot and it has its own benefits and things to offer.

So I’m posting this bc transportation is one of 739383847 other factors I’m weighing out. I am crunching the numbers to figure out how my monthly expenses would change (and how many headaches I’ll incur) bc the choice between going or staying will prob come down to the wire.

Being intentionally vague bc the other factors are kinda nuanced and not at all relevant to whether or not I can find parking downtown or will need to get a garage

Double edit: I used to have a car in JC and know how parking authority can be. I just literally wanna know if there are spots between grove and the waterfront lmao

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[deleted] t1_ivrlhkf wrote

You don't need to excuse yourself for getting a car. Free country, need a car-get one. As for parking, I doubt you'll find any; when we lived downtown a good 7-8 years ago, it was okay with parking but now with all the new buildings, I wish you luck.

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eframian t1_ivrmmg1 wrote

I'm north of the Grove stop and while I usually find parking it sometimes takes a while. I think a lot will depend on when you'll be parking.

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Chrissiel330 t1_ivt8sxf wrote

I’ve had a car downtown since we moved here because I already owned one. Originally we lived in modera lofts and street parking there was fine (pre covid). Now that there are so many new buildings, there is basically no street parking in that area.

We live by Hamilton park now and unfortunately my new job is in Princeton. So I couldn’t get rid of my car. I just commute around parking tbh. I tend to go to the office on street sweeping days so I don’t have to worry about moving my car. And I got into the office early aka 8am so I can leave to drive home by 3. This works fine for me but I realize not every job is so flexible. Good luck with your decision!

Also keep in mind street parking people hit your car all the time. And the garbage people physically throw trash cans at your car as well. So it will pretty quickly ended up scratched and with minor dents. Part of having a car in the city.

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OtherBarry3 t1_ivrtcb9 wrote

Is the job no longer attractive once you factor in the car/parking costs? You're also talking about insurance, gas, maintenance, etc. That's the math you should be doing, if the job is still attractive after all that then you're free & clear to use the nearest garage.

Years back while I was in Manhattan I juggled with a job opportunity in Long Island & would have needed to buy/park a car for a reverse commute. But after doing the math it seemed more like a pay cut vs then current no-car-required job so I didn't go for it.

Just something to think about.

EDIT: If you're curious in the Van Vorst area most/all of the street parking is already taken by the time I get back home from work. Plus you're also going against all the work from home types that only need to move their car for street cleaning.. ironically you probably have an easier time with street parking if you're work from home.

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ManchurianPandaDate t1_ivtl734 wrote

I find parking anywhere anytime, sometimes it takes a little while but mostly it’s very easy.

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Chilltopjc t1_ivvw17h wrote

When I got rid of my car I did the same kind of math. I found out I'd be saving a net of about $700/month, and that does not include parking (I parked on the street). That was 12 years ago, so inflate to 2022 dollars.

  • Car payment (I had a cheap used car so my payment was low)
  • Insurance (expensive AF)
  • Avg monthly gas+tolls
  • Assumed $1200/year on repairs, oil changes, other maintenance spread out to $100/month
  • Assumed a parking ticket per quarter

And then there's the cost of a driving commute on your blood pressure and mental health.

Plug in your own expectations into an excel/sheet and see where you land on the expenses side of the equation.

If this job means you won't need a PATH monthly, you could count that savings against the expenses. You'll probably still want to uber and take transit sometimes though for times you're going out, alcohol, don't want to deal with car/parking/traffic, etc.

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Slight_Paint4487 t1_ivw7fqe wrote

In my experience parking pretty much depends on the time of day. I just found a spot at 6pm at First and Warren and started looking at Manila. If you can park before like 8/9pm it’s probably easier, but idk if I’d want to do it every day. I drive like 3 times a week so it’s no biggie.

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JCwhatimsayin t1_ivrqxn4 wrote

I'd think real carefully about how attractive any job opportunity was if it forced me into a car under any circumstances. And doubly so if I depended on free street parking to make the difference in pay.

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[deleted] t1_ivu414f wrote

what's wrong with you? Don't get a better job because you may need a car to commute there ?

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AcerbicLeslieKnope t1_ivuouh4 wrote

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with placing a high value on not having a car. Personal preference can include not wanting a driving commute and not wanting to be a part of car culture.

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JCwhatimsayin t1_ivuf102 wrote

Hey, people make painful trade offs in their lives all the time. It sounds like you're not considering moving closer to this job. Why not? I'm just sharing the perspective that I, personally, would not consider a job change that required me to get a car. Apart from just hating to drive and feeling my life drain away any time I am spending time looking for parking, owning a car can add significantly to your financial risk. What if my car is impounded? What if someone steals my catalytic converter or slashes my tires? Do I have the funds to fill that gap on hand?

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suh_dude1111 t1_ivunnme wrote

Would you need the car daily? I think you can park in the liberty state park lot for like $60 a month

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