Big parking changes could be coming to Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Big parking changes could soon be coming to Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood.
A public meeting Wednesday at the City-County Building turned up a long list of supporters. Councilwoman Deb Gross wants to fix Lawrenceville's parking and safety problems, calling it a "destination neighborhood."
"Maybe a few decades ago, it wasn't the place where nightlife happened or people drove in from Cranberry to go out to dinner," Councilwoman Gross said.
But now they do, and parking spots are hard to come by.
"That business and all of those cars have made some intersections more dangerous for people, especially people with kids," Gross said.
That's why she proposed a new ordinance to improve mobility, safety and accessibility.
"Surveys of our older adults in our community have identified the ability to move around safely as a top quality of life issue," said David Breingan of Lawrenceville United.
Breingan supported the legislation on Wednesday, saying Lawrenceville United has tracked 147 crashes involving pedestrians and six pedestrian deaths over the past dozen years.
The ordinance would shift the hours when drivers need to pay to park. Right now, parking is enforced at the meters between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Breingan said enforcing metered parking at later hours or fluctuating the price is called "dynamic parking."
If passed, the ordinance could allow officials to make people pay for parking after 6 p.m. in metered spots. It could also raise parking rates temporarily in busy stretches to influence drivers to park on less busy side roads.
They didn't say how much more those fluctuations could cost since they're a case-by-case situation depending on demand.
"By utilizing dynamic hours and dynamic pricing, we can ensure that meters along our business district appropriately respond to parking demand and create turnover of vehicles and ensure an easier time for visitors to find parking in our commercial area," said Breingan.
He said Lawrenceville United started talking to residents and businesses back in the spring about the ordinance, adding the survey data shows the community broadly supports the ordinance.
After Wednesday's public hearing, it will now head back to Pittsburgh City Council for a vote in two weeks.
