Yesterday, Paul Muschick of the The Morning Call speculated on the reason for all the double parking in Allentown. Being politically correct, he overlooked the oblivious answer... We have herds of Rude and Crude living in Allentown. Why has this problem persisted for so long? The Allentown Parking Authority doesn't want to deal with face to face confrontations with the offensive offenders, they prefer placing a parking ticket on an empty car and then running away. The Allentown Police consider the problem beneath their law enforcement pay grade. Muschick mentioned N. 7th Street as ground zero for the problem. Fellow activist Robert Trotner referenced Muschick's column on facebook, and a Hispanic business owner complained about the lack of parking spaces on 7th Street, for the volume of current businesses. He does have a point, but the double parking in Allentown occurs everywhere in center city, even with many empty spaces.
The city should identify parcels close to 7th Street that can be acquired for additional parking. Peter Lewnes has done an excellent job developing 7th Street into a business district, as it was in Allentown's distant past. Being as politically incorrect as I am, I cannot refrain from noting that the same merchants and clientele now on 7th Street, were deemed undesirable when they were previously on Hamilton Street. As I have written before, there was actually more commerce on Hamilton Street with the so called undesirables, than there is now. However, the NIZ wasn't really meant to increase commerce, but rather to increase the real estate portfolio of certain individuals. Another recent article in The Morning Call, on the NIZ, avoided such realities.
People don't double park because there aren't places to park. They double park in front of where they want to go because it's convenient to run in, then come out in a minute or two.
ReplyDeleteAllentown needs to offer a bounty to private companies to issue tickets and put them on the windshields. $100.
I see it daily. No cops-no consequences. I see parking in no parking zones, parking in handicapped spaces without a permit, right turns on red without stopping, speeding and just blowing through red lights. I feel for the police too as I wouldn’t want to approach a car with tinted drivers side windows.
ReplyDeleteMike, yes this street is filled with supposed patrons, but no one is talking about the packages that go with the food? Let's go back to the original grant harvested Joyce moroon or in real life moyer. Claiming ignorance is what got mayor pawlowski facing a long stretch in the federal penitentiary. This goes with out saying cognizant complicity of the badlands relocation grant process with restaurants store fronts Allentown pa style, the gateway to the downtown highlife?
ReplyDeleteAllentown needs to go back and have Meter Maids. Let them walk around and when they see things like double parking, illegal parking in handicapped, and yes, expired time in meters, have them issue tickets. They can be paid by a percentage of the fine money generated by the they write. This would be a good job for those on welfare and for those retired people looking to supplement their fixed income.
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