Updated: Hoboken Mayor Responds After Parking In Bus Lane To Get Starbucks

HOBOKEN, NJ — In a mile-square city known for its parking crunch, those who use Hoboken's main drag of Washington Street are encouraged to pay for metered or garage parking, and can be fined for double parking, failing to feed the meter, or blocking a bus stop.

So social media commenters were surprised on Friday to see photos of the mayor parking in a bus lane across the street from Starbucks, only three blocks from City Hall parking spots.

"This morning Mr. @RaviBhalla decided that rules are for fools and parked his SUV in a bus lane to buy his morning coffee at @Starbucks in #Hoboken," noted a social media user last Friday in a post that was viewed more than 23,000 times.

The city raised parking meter rates on the street three weeks ago.

Patch reached out to Bhalla's spokesperson and public safety spokesperson earlier in the week to ask if it was the mayor in the photos, and to see if he had an explanation for them, but received no response.

However, the mayor's campaign spokesperson responded on Friday, after this story ran: "The mayor apologizes for stopping in a bus zone for a quick moment while he went to pick up a cup of coffee. Like many, he experiences first hand the challenges of parking in Hoboken; nonetheless it is important that he set an example and will work hard to do so in the future."

The apparent disregard of parking rules had people miffed.

"Come on @RaviBhalla," wrote former Councilman and Hoboken Housing Authority Chairman David Mello on Monday, "you’re better than this. (I think)."

Bhalla has been praised around the country, including by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, for the Vision Zero program, launched in 2019, to cut down on traffic deaths. Densely packed Hoboken has had three pedestrian deaths in the last nine years, but none in the last four years.

The same vehicle as in the photos, with the same license plate, could be found parked at City Hall this week with a Mayor's Office placard on the dashboard.

On Washington Street, the bus stop sign says there's no parking and does not list times or any exceptions.

Vehicles parked in the bus lanes frequently push the buses into the bike lanes, forcing cyclists to use the main road:

Just Another Reminder

In the end, some thought the situation was just another reminder that better solutions are needed to the parking crunch in the city's business district, including for officials who could park legally .2 miles away.

"I’m so glad he was caught dealing with parking issues like the rest of us deal with — except HE can get away with it and WE get a ticket!!" commented one Tweeter.

Meanwhile, another Tweet appeared with a different SUV in the same situation in 2018: "Dear Mayor Bhalla, very bad example to the Hoboken citizenship having your driver double park in front of Starbucks clearly blocking the bike lane. If you don't set a good example who will???"