CREST HAVEN – When summer days are gray, crowds flock to Cape May County Park and Zoo, and parking can be downright unbearable.
The lion’s share of the remaining grassy area is covered by vehicles.
Park staff must be detailed to direct the cars and to keep an eagle’s eye on the visitors. Getting in and out can be slow as a tortoise.
Freeholders are well aware that one of the county’s top tourist destinations (after the beach and boardwalks) is the park and zoo in Swainton. They also know the sardine-like problem parking poses on dismal summer days.
That’s why the board listened intently to Bryan VanderGheynst, supervising engineer from NV5 in Parsippany give a presentation May 23 on alternatives to improve traffic circulation and parking.
The firm projected its concepts on the screen as VanderGheynst cited the virtues of each possibility.
The single kiosk at the Route 9 entrance, with one window that accepts donations, is part of the cue problem, he said. One of the first tasks the firm was to solve: Improve that.
To double the number of cars off Route 9 and into the park at the gate would be a “vast improvement,” he said.
Once those cars are in the park, VanderGheynst showed a variety of options to increase parking spaces while maintaining the green area and trees, minimizing impervious cover, and improving traffic flow.
One design called for 1,241 parking stalls, something that the firm was tasked to do as part of its proposal.
Another goal of the firm was to make enough parking so that no park staff would have to be used to direct traffic on those busy summer days.
Bus parking, used by schools for class trips, must be increased.
Also, it’s envisioned that a kiosk will be located at the park’s rear entrance on Court House-South Dennis Road. At present, there is no way to monitor how many vehicles enter the park there, according to Parks Director Ed Runyon.
Also to be considered is the amount of storm water runoff from the parking areas and other environmental considerations that are mandated to acquire a Coastal Areas Facilities Review Act (CAFRA) Permit.
No final decision was made on which design the board favored.
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