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Free parking after 6 p.m. proposed for Pittsburgh
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By Bob Bauder
Published: Wednesday, December 5, 2012, 12:01 a.m.
Updated: Wednesday, December 5, 2012
City Council voted Tuesday to consider legislation that would free drivers from ever again having to plug a parking meter in Pittsburgh after 6 p.m.
Councilman Bill Peduto, who sponsored the legislation, said evening parking enforcement hurts small, neighborhood businesses that depend on customers who park at metered spaces.
Council in 2010 extended meter enforcement hours to 10 p.m. Downtown and in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Oakland, the North Shore, South Side and Strip District to generate more revenue. Reacting to public outcry last year, members amended the legislation temporarily, returning enforcement to between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. through this year.
Enforcement in the seven neighborhoods is set to extend again to 10 p.m. starting in January. Council plans a preliminary vote next week on Peduto's proposal to permanently end nighttime enforcement.
In other action, council passed legislation that:
• Creates the Department of Equal Opportunity Review and commits money for the purchase of software to allow the department to accurately track minority- and female-owned business participation in city contracts. The legislation establishes the position of director, who will be paid $70,000 to $90,000, and enables the department to penalize contractors who violate quotas.
• Commits $250,000 for a study of racial and gender inequalities in Pittsburgh.
• Approves the $360,000 purchase of a building on Broadway Avenue in Beechview for a senior center. The city intends to renovate the building and estimates total costs at $3 million.
Bob Bauder is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-765-2312 or bbauder@tribweb.com.
I found a much simpler way to address the parking issues in Pittsburgh several years ago. I simply don't enter the city or patronize city businesses any time of the day, any day of the week, for any reason and only enter the city when I have no other option but to do so. Haven't fed a single nickle into a city parking meter, paid a single parking ticket or had to give a moments thought to the condition of safety of my vehicles as they sat on crime ridden city streets for going on eight years now and haven't sacrificed a single thing to gain the reduced stress, peace of mind and extra money in the bank for having done so. Plenty of free parking just across the city border folks and the knowledge that you're not subsidized a corrupt city political machine by utilizing it that comes with it.
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