Pittsburgh offers free parking, shuttles to South Side during St. Patrick's Day celebration
Pittsburgh is once again offering free parking and transportation to its popular South Side bar and restaurant district during the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day festivities next weekend.
Visitors can park for free March 14 at a lot on Second Avenue on Downtown’s outskirts and catch a free continuous- loop shuttle from the lot to the South Side’s Carson Street and the First Avenue light rail transit station Downtown, said City Councilman Bruce Kraus, who represents the South Side.
Drivers can leave their vehicle in the Second Avenue lot overnight until around noon on Sunday, he said, free of charge. The policy encourages people who have imbibed to stay out their car.
Shuttle service starts at 5 a.m. and runs continuously for 24 hours. Juan Hernandez, the Pittsburgh Transportation Group’s general manager, said the company will provide two shuttles, one painted pink with “The Night Rider” printed on the side and a second with green shamrocks on it.
“The one thing we want to stress more than anything else is you can come to the South Side, and you can enjoy everything the South Side has to offer, and you can leave one thing behind when you come, and that’s your vehicle,” Kraus said. “That one-person-one car coming to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is not necessarily something that you want to do.”
Pittsburgh’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. and will proceed Downtown along Liberty Avenue, Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies before ending at Commonwealth Place. City officials said visitors should expect street restrictions Downtown and the South Side and heavy congestion in both areas.
Parking in the South Side will be at a premium and visitors should take public transportation or ride-share into the city, Kraus said. Pittsburgh Parking Authority officers will patrol the South Side throughout the festivities and issue tickets to violators.
The Port Authority is doubling up on light-rail trains during the festivities. As always, passengers can ride for free from North Shore stations to stops Downtown, including the First Avenue station.
Kraus urged people to make use of the 40 portable toilets available at lighted parking lots along Carson and Sidney streets and deposit trash into containers located throughout the neighborhood. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership will have a crew emptying trash cans during the celebration, according to Tracy Brindle, who heads the partnership’s Clean and Safe program.
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