Keep More Change in Your Pockets

Parking meter prices remain the same in the City of Brotherly Love

By TORRI GRICE

Updated 7:40 AM EDT, Thu, Jul 2, 2009

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Mayor Daley's office announced Tuesday it would suspend the Chicago Parking Meters (CPM) firm from writing any more parking tickets until the numerous problems with meters around the town are solved.

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Great news for drivers in Philly -- The Philadelphia Parking Authority decided not to go forth with a dollar increase in Center City parking meter rates as originally planned.

The parking rate hike from $2 per hour to $3 per hour was scheduled to take effect Wednesday for Center City meters between 4th and 20th Streets and Arch to Locust Streets.

Every penny counts now a day so the move will likely be welcomed by anyone trying to park on the cheap(er).

Parking rates were hiked from $1 to $2 an hour at many Center City meters six months ago in a hope of encouraging turnover, said the PPA.

The need for a second phase of hikes wasn’t needed because the PPA reached their goal of creating more parking opportunities, Fenerty said.

“We will continue to monitor the available parking to be sure we are setting rates that encourage people to come to Center City while insuring sufficient available parking to make that trip convenient. Rate adjustments will be made as needed to maintain that balance,” he said.

Balance is what the PPA had in mind when they agreed to lower the hourly rate to $1.50 an hour for areas in lowest demand.

Not every plan was scrapped. The PPA moved forward with installation of new meter kiosks that will accept, smart cards, coins, dollars and credit cards, PPA Executive Director Vince Fenerty said.

But not all was cheaper especially when it came to fines for expired meters. The changes remained for expired meter fines, which were bumped from $26 to $36 earlier this year.

Fees also jumped for double parking, parking at a taxi stand and stopping in a loading zone.

And, just because rates didn’t go up now doesn’t mean they will remain lower.

Although increases in the future can’t be foreseen at this time, “PPA will continue to study areas street by street to determine if adjustments need to be made to insure an satisfied vacancy rate of parking is acceptable” Fenerty said.