Longtime Strip District merchants are panning a consultant’s draft report that suggests ways to improve parking and pedestrian safety in the historic wholesale district.

Stantec, a Boston-based urban design firm, reported that the Strip has 10,300 parking spaces on streets and in lots, but only about 3,800 are available to the public for daily use. An additional 1,600 are open only through monthly permits.

The bulk of remaining spaces are either located in private lots and garages, reserved exclusively for construction vehicles or closed because of the construction boom that’s been going on over the past several years, the report said. About 1,000 of those spaces are reserved for construction vehicles or closed because of ongoing work.

Suggestions for resolving the problems include dynamic pricing — a system where meter rates increase during periods of peak demand — to increase turnaround times for metered spaces and encourage visitors to park in areas farther from the main shopping districts on Penn Avenue and Smallman Street.

Jimmy Sunseri, an owner of Jimmy and Nino’s specialty foods on Penn Avenue, said his business is down by about 25% because of the parking situation. He said an increase in parking rates through dynamic pricing would scare off more business.

“One of the thorns in our side is there isn’t anywhere to park,” he said. “Do you think people are going to carry three or four bags and walk to their car three or four blocks away? It’s not going to happen.”

Carnegie Mellon University tested a dynamic pricing system in 400 spaces around its Oakland campus several years ago and found that it triggered greater availability while generating more revenue. Pittsburgh City Council in 2014 authorized the Parking Authority to establish dynamic pricing in Downtown and a dozen other neighborhoods — including the Strip — but the system has yet to be launched.

Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said the city welcomes input from neighborhood stakeholders.

“We value input from all Strip District visitors, businesses and residents, which is precisely why we released these draft recommendations last week,” he said.

Other suggestions include converting Penn Avenue, now a one-way street heading into Downtown, for two-way traffic and closing it to traffic on weekends to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. The one-way street encourages drivers to speed and weave in and out through traffic, according to officials.

Dan Wholey, an owner of the popular fish market Robert Wholey & Co. Inc., said the suggestion is “ridiculous.”

He said the one-way street is safer for pedestrians and it benefits shoppers and businesses alike. Making it two-way would eliminate parking spaces, he added.

“Penn Avenue is a very narrow street and if you’ve got cars coming in both directions, that’s dangerous,” he said. “Right now you can change lanes and go to either side of the street and park. That benefits the merchants and it’s conducive to shopping.”

City Councilwoman Deb Gross, who represents the Strip District, said she was surprised at the suggestion to open the street in both directions and said she would need more information to consider it.

“That doesn’t sound to me like something that’s immediately necessary,” she said. “I want to emphasize that this was a study. These aren’t full-blown proposals yet and certainly there’s not been enough input from the neighborhood or the merchants. There may be some ideas that we can work with from the study, but it’s just study at this point.”

Gross lauded the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure for its work with Stantec on possible solutions, but said she needs to hear more before supporting any suggestions.

“I think there is something there for all of us to talk about, but none of these proposals are anywhere close to being in front of council,” she said.

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