So I found out from a confidential source that the Allentown Parking Authority has instated a daily quota their officers must meet every day. They must now write 100 tickets per day. Not only will this affect the officers but it will affect the residents of the city because now officers will be pushed to write more tickets. Former executive director Tamara Dolan said at a city council meeting that the APA does not have a quota or push their officers to write tickets but that they push for compliance. Well now they have a quota so don't be surprised you see more tickets being issued. I certainly have no problem believing that there is a quota, regardless of what the Parking Authority may say. In the past I have documented them being less than honest about surveys they falsely claimed to have conducted. .Julian Kern May 8, 2018
The Parking Authority was created under less than meritorious circumstances. Old timers may remember when three meter maids, working for the police department, monitored the parking meters in golf carts. Downtown was still busy back then, and three people were enough for the shopping district. However, when the owners of Park & Shop decided the heydays were over, they prevailed upon the city to buy the lots...and the Allentown Parking Authority was born, to bail those influentials out from under those parking lots. Since then, they have grown into the beast that preys upon the citizens of Allentown.
Shown above is the parking officer I used to call the Producer. I suppose by now he's probably retired, it's a photograph from 2009 or so. He's giving street cleaning tickets on 16th St., just off of Allen
St.. Never mind that the city hadn't even plowed the snow yet!
Over the past 15 years I have written many posts on the Parking Authority and their abuses. Those so interested can use the search engine on this blog's sidebar (web version) and type in Parking Authority. I often portrayed the Authority as Frankenstein's monster, preying on residents, people voting, and even parents picking up their school children.
So, in the meantime, don't forget to pay your tickets!
ADDENDUM: Mr Kern's quote was actually from May of 2018. I modified the post to clarify that his quote isn't current. Nevertheless, the complaint about recent harassment by the Authority in the west end is current. Quotes and complaints about the Parking Authority can never really be out of date.
The last time I went into center city Allentown except for obligations to go to the court house, was 1976. I watched my watch, crossed the street with a meter maid standing at the rear of my car, just as the meter clicked . She demanded I don't move my car and wrote up a ticket. I was very angry.
ReplyDeleteI've held to my pledge to never spend any money in center city Allentown again.
Definitely they have a penny wise and pound foolish approach.
no place you'd really want to spend it anyways
Deleteray@5:22: The meter maids were tough ladies...tough enough to confront even a double parker...that's more than any Parking Authority officer (or policeman) will do today
ReplyDeleteI've lived in Allentown for decades and not one parking ticket. In fact, APA is probably the most enforcement oriented and professional city related operation I can think of. Allentown residents are constantly complaining about lack of enforcement of everything and APA is responsive, courteous and professional. A City as large as Allentown needs rigid enforcement of its parking regulations and APA is up to the task. Good for them.
ReplyDeleteWe went to city hall for an evening zoning meeting, parked on the street and tried repeatedly to pay for parking with our credit card. No luck, gave up and went to the meeting anyway. Next day my wife noticed suspicious charges on that same card.long story short, the meter was the culprit, had to cancel the card. Real pain in the a**.
ReplyDeleteI can confirm that the Parking Authority has been very aggressive in my neighborhood. What comments/complaints are you getting about the West End?
ReplyDeleteAnd here I thought we were special. :)
https://nextdoor.com/p/GB7xdpNJRy4f/c/887131001?post=254489131&comment=887131001&ct=d9yfU76ZsiqMqaIDSbou93YbtrCMsQ9VoDyQ8QIAFbkoyNGDcBK2ZJE8_SQ4llw6&ec=OsTQaK5EfsnyavzwbSdG6xCsaFBVDChIdtlFdebAXMw%3D
DeleteWe had some nuisance residents in rentals where I live constantly parking illegally, parking with un-inspected and/or unregistered cars or leaving dented/barely drivable cars parked in the alleys etc. When I've filed a complaint using the parking authority website they came out pretty quickly and issued tickets
ReplyDeleteYears ago I was very active scrutinizing the Parking Authority. On two occasions when they claimed they surveyed the merchants for approval for a meter rate increase, I conducted my own surveys of the merchants. On both occasions the Parking Authority had fabricated their results... In reality, the merchants were either against the meter raise, or not contacted by the APA at all. However, such revelations fell on deaf ears at City Council. Council always has at least one member on the Authority board, and were in favor of all planned increases and other activities. I also attended Parking Authority meetings, where I was always a less than welcome guest. Their decisions to sell certain surface lots to certain developers were (are) always questionable.
ReplyDeleteSad thing is they will drive around double parked care& not ticket them
ReplyDeleteThat's because they know the driver is nearby, and they are afraid.
DeleteI just looked at that photo. The "Producer" is writing a ticket for an handicap-plated car that is in an handicap space. That is really low of that guy.
ReplyDeleteWELL.... when we were sold YEAR ROUND street sweeping, we were given the colossal crock of sheit that "this way, when it snows, and cars must move, we will be ABLE to plow"... NEVER EVER HAPPENED!!!! We've had our 2 lane street one lane courtesy of the wonderful plow crews... This city just sells colossal pile of bovine scat to the clueless populace!!! I saw bring back the racks and public stoning since calling, writing, complaining, whining and asking give less than something called "a result"!!!.... But they still love to ticket!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Producer is only trying to fill his quota.
ReplyDeleteYet APA allows multiple vehicles to be illegally parked along the 600 and 700 blocks of E. Highland and E. Congress Sts . and adjoining streets. Most of these vehicles do not have license plates attached and many of those that do are not registered to the vehicle. The body shops in the area store their vehicles on the street. Other businesses are affected by this complacent attitude and complain to APA so that once in a while they will send an officer there. This complacent attitude of APA is because they feel they will not get paid for the enforcement and towing. Doesn't matter to them that this is their duty.
ReplyDeleteAPA is far from complacent..if there are legitimate violations on a City street you should file complaints about individual vehicles using the APA website. I've found them to be very responsive and service oriented.
DeleteInterestingly, the APA is out in the middle of the night (witnessed between 2 and 4AM) ticketing vehicles parked too close to the intersection... you know, the poor slobs that couldn't find a space to save their souls when they return from working the late shift. It usually turns out there is no space due to the manner inconsiderate people park. I swear if these jerks could figure out a way to park the entire block with just their own car, they would do it!!!!... makes it real easy to get out... minimal wheel twisting...
ReplyDeleteIronically, the abundance of inconsiderate slobs in our city is probably the main reason I support the parking authority. Nine out of ten times the people getting the tickets are the renters/smokers/drinkers and people who own multiple clunkers for no apparent reason. They have money for cigarettes so I conclude they have money for tickets. Can you imagine our streets if parking wasn’t actively managed?!
DeleteGood!! I'm glad to hear some agency in Allentown is serious about enforcement
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