Although the shopping district in Allentown has shrunk down to only Hamilton and 7th Streets, the meter district remains as it did during the heydays of the 1950's. The meters extend from Walnut to Chew, from 5th to 10th, well over 1000 meters in 20 sq. blocks. Parking meters extend out to 10th and Chew Sts, three full blocks beyond the closest store.* These meters are a defacto penalty for the residents, mostly tenants. In essence, it is a back door tax on Allentown's poorest citizens. The apologists claim the tenants can purchase a resident meter pass, however their friends and visitors cannot. To add insult to injury, in 2005, to help finance a new parking deck for the arts district, the Parking Authority doubled the meter rate and fines. Testimony to City Council permitting the rate increase indicated it was favored by the merchants. At that time I documented to the Council that in fact the merchants were not informed, much less in favor. The vote was 5 to 2, with Hershman and Hoover dissenting
* I used the above copy on my posting of October 3, 2007. In the past several weeks the Parking Authority finally removed the meters in the 900 block of Chew St, 50 years beyond their legitimate need.
UPDATE: The post above is reprinted from September 2009. I have published dozens of posts on the Parking Authority. In 2005, I conducted two press conferences on their abuses; One conference was at 10th and Chew Streets, and concerned the oversized meter zone. The second conference, directly in front of their office, concerned the fabricated merchant survey that they presented to City Council. Old tricks die hard. Forward ahead to 2015, and the Parking Authority will once again penalize both existing merchants and residents. The new plan is to double the meter parking rate from $1 an hour, to $2, and extend the metering time to 10:00pm. They claim that the merchants are in favor of this plan. Although I will not conduct my own survey, as I did 2005, their survey defies logic. Why would any of the few surviving merchants want their customers submitted to a destination city parking rates in Allentown? Despite the hype, Allentown is not Miami Beach or N.Y.C.. In reality, just as the taxpayers are subsidizing the arena zone, now the merchants and residents will be subsidizing the arena plan through punitive parking rates.
UPDATE Memorial Day Weekend 2015: I did end up asking several merchants, and no, they were not surveyed. Eight years from the original date of this post, and the Authority is still up to the same shenanigans. Reilly's City Center tenants, merchants and customers will get a free pass for the Authority's inconvenient parking lots. Other existing tenants in the NIZ, such as the south side of the 900 block of Walnut Street, will not be eligible for residential parking permits. If you have a problem with any of this, remember, you must now put money in the meter at night, before complaining to City Council.
UPDATE MARCH 20, 2020: As of noon yesterday, the Parking Authority suspended tickets in the residential permit zones. However, normal parking meter tickets will continue. This would have of course punish merchants still open for business during this virus crisis. However, while there are virtually no merchants left on Hamilton Street since the NIZ revitalization, the punishment would have mostly affect the minority merchants on 7th Street....or in other words, life as usual in Allentown. Governor Wolf has declared that all non-essential businesses must close. Will the monster also now stand down?
And Darryl Hendricks and candida Affa are still on the board for parking authority correct?
ReplyDeleteCandida Affa was one of Pawlowski's first appointments to the Authority, years before she ran for council. The Authority was a "yes" board under Pawlowski and involved in much questionable activity. Those interested in more information can use the search box on the right sidebar of this blog.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I came into downtown Allentown was 1976, I watched my watch, as I crossed the street to my car. the meter maid stood at the rear of my car as the meter clicked off, she told me not to move my car until she finished writing the ticket. I swore I would never come back again and I have not.
ReplyDeleteSorry for coming in late with my comments here, but I'd like to make a few points about the new parking payment kiosks that are cropping up in the city:
ReplyDelete1) We're actually losing downtown parking to the kiosks, since with the meters removed there is no longer a clear demarcation of where people should park. As a result, people park where they want on the block or with excess space between cars and parking spots are lost.
2) There's nothing like already being in a hurry and getting out of your car and walking to the payment kiosk, only to find yourself in a line to pay your parking fee. When this happens, one of the people in front of you will almost certainly not know their license plate number and will hold up the line even further. It's even better when it's raining and you're getting wet.
3) With the coronavirus, it's just wonderful to get out and have to touch a screen that likely has never been cleaned since it was boxed up at the factory. You shouldn't have to risk serious illness or death to pay a 25 cent toll at the curb
I still don't see any benefit of the kiosks to those parking. It obviously makes the Parking Authority's job of cash collection easier, but shouldn't they be focused on what's best for their customers?
At the least, the kiosks should be closed out while we deal with the coronavirus, and parking should be free in those areas.
I'm curious as to why anyone would go downtown except for take-out (if any restaurants are open). Beyond that, I agree with anything anyone says about the Parking Authority - a bureaucracy out of control with one goal, to grow bigger and more powerful.
ReplyDelete