Fells Point's late-night weekend parking restrictions put on hold after community discussions

Late-night weekend parking restrictions in Fells Point have been called off after Baltimore leaders discussed the issue with community members, according to the Baltimore City Mayor's Office.

The no-parking signs, which would have banned parking on weekends from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m., have been removed, with no plans to reinstate the restrictions.

Initially, Baltimore City said it was enforcing a parking restriction along Broadway and Thames between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., from Fridays through Sundays, in the area of popular nightlife.

"The Mayor's office has been in regular contact with Councilman (Mark) Parker and the Council President (Zeke Cohen) regarding evening parking in Fells Point," the mayor's office said. "Prior to last weekend, the city removed signage following conversations with members of the community. There are no plans to reinstate the restrictions at this time."

Fells Point parking ban pushback

Fells Point residents and business owners pushed back against Baltimore's late-night weekend parking ban, saying that it would hurt businesses in the area.

"A lot of people come here by car, and so now they're saying you can't park here after 10 p.m.," said Manny Joyner. "I think it's going to negatively affect the businesses. It's going to be immediate. It's going to be noticeable."

Some residents were also concerned that parking would be even more of a nightmare than it already is.

"Parking in the evening is already difficult enough, and if you have to go three or four blocks further, it doesn't get any easier," Tom Crawford said.

Some also believe these new parking rules are the city's way of curbing the summer violence in the square.

"The violence is unacceptable, and I understand the city wants to curb that, and that makes sense, but at the end of the day, folks want to come down here and have a good time," Crawford said. "So it's not about restricting the people that want to come here and spend their money and enjoy the restaurants, it's about restricting the people who want to come here and do bad things."

Baltimore's 24-hour parking enforcement

In March, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (BCDOT) launched a 24-hour parking enforcement program. 

The overnight enforcement will target habitual parking offenders, including commercial vehicles parked illegally in residential areas, vehicles violating residential permit parking, scofflaw offenders, and other traffic management issues, according to BCDOT officials. 

Abandoned vehicles could be cited and towed during the overnight enforcement period, BCDOT officials said. 

BCDOT will use data-driven strategies to guide deployments and allocate resources. Real-time data will help officials identify high-risk areas and improve response times. 

"Transportation Enforcement Officers being cross-trained, overnight towing services, and more focused enforcement are going to help deliver a more effective and responsive enforcement program and give our teams the tools they need to get the job done," said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.