The SafetySticks® Are Watching: Dover’s New Parking Patrol

If you’re double-parking or placing your car or truck in a Dover restricted zone and see grey posts—about three feet tall and topped with a solar panel and a camera—think twice or pay the price.

The SafetySticks® have arrived.

Dover Town Council unanimously approved the plan to work with Municipal Parking Services, Inc., to help improve difficult traffic conditions and make entitled drivers pay for their indiscretions.

“By bringing SafetySticks® to Dover, we’re taking a real step toward Vision Zero policies that are saving lives across New Jersey,” said Councilman Sergio Rodriguez, who supported the deal. “Every blocked crosswalk or fire hydrant is a risk; we’re eliminating those risks and setting a new standard for safety. I’ve had conversations with the Vision Zero NJ Alliance and long wanted to bring that vision to Dover. This is just the beginning of making our streets safer, more walkable, and more welcoming for everyone who lives, works, and visits our town.”

Drivers tempting their no-parking luck  aren’t alone in Dover; SafteySticks are also being used in

Garfield, Hasbrouck Heights, Little Falls, North Arlington, Wood-Ridge, and Belleville. There are 21 SafetySticks in Dover. Council approved a total of 100. This is how they work:

• Drivers who park in places next to SafetySticks get about a 90-second grace period before the mounted camera snaps a photo of the offender’s license plate. In the 15-minute parking spots, you’d better clear out within that timeframe.

• Dover’s parking officers will review the photo evidence daily to confirm the tickets. They will also be official witnesses for the infraction if drivers dispute the tickets in court. 

• If you park illegally, return to your vehicle. Don’t get overconfident if you don’t see a ticket. Tickets will be mailed to the home address of the vehicle’s registered owner.

  
  

MPS delivers and installs SafetySticks at no cost to the town. However, it collects 40 percent of the revenue generated from tickets. “This isn’t about collecting tickets or squeezing residents for money,” Rodriguez said. “The goal of the SafetySticks® is to change behavior and make our streets safer. They’re only being placed where parking is already prohibited—like crosswalks, bus stops, fire hydrants, and corners. If you’re parked legally, you won’t even notice them.”

But if you park illegally, you don’t want to get the short end of the stick.