Manayunk shoppers who thought they were recipients of some old fashioned Holiday goodwill were instead hit with a very unwelcome Christmas present: $26 parking tickets.
An NBC10 viewer emailed us about the situation. According to the viewer, she and several other drivers parked along a street in Manayunk on Saturday where they saw signs on the parking meters promoting a special Holiday Deal. The signs read, “Meters are free on Saturdays. Happy Holidays from MNYK.”
When the shoppers returned to their vehicles however, they discovered $26 parking tickets on their windshields. NBC10 investigated the incident and got answers from both the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the Manayunk Development Corporation.
Both groups told us free parking started after 11 a.m. and that the vehicles that were ticketed parked in the spots before 11 a.m. However, the signs on the meters didn’t list a time. As NBC10 continued to investigate, we received word from the Parking Authority that they would cancel the tickets -- the 12 people ticketed won’t be held responsible for the fine.
A spokesman for the Development Corporation tells NBC10 shoppers will still enjoy free parking on Saturday through the Holiday season. He also says merchants placed signs on the meters too early which led to the confusion. The Corporation plans to deal with the mix up.
