In Lavallette, New Ordinance Would Ban Drivers From ‘Straddling’ Parking Spaces

A parkingzone where spaces were marked in downtown Lavallette during the Route 35 reconstruction project. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

It’s long been said that one cannot legislate common sense – or common courtesy – but in Lavallette, the sneaky practice of parking one’s vehicle in more than one space to protect from dents and scratches will soon officially be illegal.

Lavallette officials have unanimously introduced an ordinance revision that requires drivers to park between the lines of marked spaces in public areas, meaning those who do not will risk getting a ticket. While the borough council, earlier this year, adopted an ordinance that mandates vehicles be parked within the marked areas in municipal lots, the borough’s overall traffic code was silent on the topic of vehicles that straddled more than one space at a time – regardless of location.

While motorists who took up more than one space at a time to create a buffer to avoid dings and scratches may have violated the law of common courtesy, the borough code was more lenient. In fact, until the ordinance is adopted on second reading, it is completely legal to straddle the lines between spaces. Communities that offer metered parking normally avoid the issue by default, since fees are charged on a per-space basis, but in Lavallette – where parking is free – the code had never been formally amended to prohibit the practice. This summer, the lack of a prohibition was formally noted, according to Mayor Walter LaCicero.

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“We discovered that we did not have an ordinance that required cars to literally park within the marked spaces, and we had some people who didn’t want to get their car scratched, so they would straddle some of the parking spaces,” he said at last week’s borough council meeting.

When police went to issue tickets, they quickly found out there was no violation at hand. Police also checked the state’s traffic code, which likewise is silent on the issue of taking up more than one space at a time, instead leaving such regulations up to local communities. Officials said the ramifications of “straddling” are fairly obvious: less parking in a Shore town where spots are almost always at a premium during the busy summer season.

Lavallette’s new ordinance requires vehicles to park “literally between” the lines of marked spaces, and punishes violators with the already-established general parking penalty. Motorcyclists enjoy a bit of a reprieve, however, with the ordinance allowing two motorcycles to park in one single marked space.

Fines collected under the ordinance will not lead to drivers accruing points on their license, and any revenue generated will be collected solely by the municipal government. Council members are expected to formally adopt the ordinance after a hearing at their next meeting, set for Nov. 17, 2025.