The most intractable issue in the Allentown Parking Authority controversy is alley parking. Although the Authority itself offered a compromise on that issue, at least two members of council, Candida Affa and Daryl Hendricks, won't budge. They see the topic as a slippy slope. They find the 12 ft. proposal too unenforceable... one person may perceive the width as 11ft., and another 13ft.
As a lifelong resident, I know that all alleys are not created equal. An alley in center city with houses actually fronting on it is a very different animal than the alleys farther west.
Past 17th Street, there are no houses in the alleys. Past Ott Street, there's not even many garages in the alleys. In the deep west end, many former alleys no longer exist. While the city accommodated some owners by vacating certain ones, others were just appropriated. People put private driveway signs and gates up...others were absorbed into lawns.
Leaving the alley ordinance as is leaves the issue up to the discretion of the parking authority. That discretion, or lack thereof, is what brought this current controversy to the front burner in the first place.
Show above was a "private" alley with gate. Before the gate, it was a public alley. Farther downtown the same alley has a street name and even houses. The gate has since been removed, and it's now a garage driveway.
All alleys are not created equal... Many moons ago, before I was born, my folks lived on Stanley Street which was known then as "Woodlawn"... still an Allentown address, where I was born so many moons ago. Would you believe the alleys were actually grass and people mowed and tended to it as if it were their own but everyone knew it certainly was not theirs as cars went in and out to garages on the grass alleys and people parked there, too. I would hazard a guess that the parking authority would have a ball there... imagine, parking on grass...???!!! Still not an issue in good old Woodlawn as far as I know...
ReplyDeleteWell, I hate to pour gasoline on this post… but according to our late Mayor Joseph Dadonna ” There are NO alleys in the All American City of Allentown!!” According to him they were all streets. Check it out with the Street Department. I remember back in the day, when the neighbor wanted to build a garage… the city came in and opened up the unmarked street. My dad had to move his raspberry plants and rhubarb plants. The kids in the neighborhood had to reconfigure our kickball and baseball field. Our neighbor Mr. Hirst had to move his dog coupe. That Street remained unpaved for close to 20 years. Used to mow the weeds that grew up in the center of the roadway when I cut the lawn.All Great Memories from back in the day!
ReplyDeleteanon@2:00: you are correct, they are all termed streets and all have names. The point of the post, whether called alleys or streets, is that they are not all the same, and haven't been treated as such by the city. The Parking Authority has been clearly harvesting revenue when ticketing them in the deep west end, not enforcing for safety sake. It is my policy to not provide addresses or street names. The post does not want to invade anybody's privacy, but discuss APA policy. Somewhere in the deep west end an old garage (circa 1930) was recently moved,
ReplyDeleteand now sits in the middle of a previous street (alley).
Are APA gripes really much of an issue in the West End? Isn't the core of the matter the dependent class not wanting to be subject to the law? Simiarly, isn't that what's driving dope dealer Convict Hasshan Batts and his rabble's effort to hobble the police?
ReplyDeleteJeffery@8:01:The public outcry was started by someone in the west end who was being ticketed for parking in front of her garage. Her alley isn't posted "No Parking", and didn't present the safety issues of downtown. The APA clearly was harvesting revenue with the west end alley tickets. In absence of City Council action on that issue, If they will relax that particular enforcement remains to be seen. Future comments with such incendiary off topic questions will not be hosted.
ReplyDelete