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Those who work at downtown businesses are not completely out of luck when it comes to parking this weekend. The city and the Chamber of Commerce are renting the Bangs Avenue parking garage and distributing one pass to each business downtown.

The issue of parking for downtown workers was a hot topic at recent Bamboozle music festival public awareness meetings for businesses. The festival is expected to 20,000 to 40,000 people to town per day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and parking will be scarce.

“We will issue one space through a certificate for each business that comes and is interested in that,” special events chair Tom Gilmour said at last night’s council meeting. “We’ll issue that on a first-come, first-served basis.”

The city hopes the passes will be used by carpooling workers all weekend — “one car with a number of employees,” Gilmour said.

Rental of the garage costs $1300. The chamber of commerce will contribute $600 and the city will pay the remaining $700 using funds left over from the now-defunct urban enterprise zone.

City officials are encouraging workers and residents alike not to drive this weekend if they don’t have to. Although buses will not be operating as usual in Asbury Park, NJ Transit’s trains will be running on schedule, with additional trains leaving town at 2 a.m. after the festivities on Friday and Saturday and 1 a.m. after Sunday’s event.

Also, there will be ample parking at Monmouth Park with shuttle buses transporting festival-goers for $10 round trip.

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