The Philadelphia Parking Authority Would Like You To Know That Just Because The Philadelphia Parking Authority Decided Not To Raise Meter Rates, That Doesn’t Mean That The Philadelphia Parking Authority Still Doesn’t Do Whatever The Hell The Philadelphia Parking Authority Wants
By now, you might have seen the story about how your friend and ours, The Philadelphia Parking Authority, has decided to hold off on raising parking meter rates from $2 to $3 per hour, as if the PPA was some kind of benevolent being that wants you to patronize businesses in the city and doesn’t want you to die and is not your mortal foe. But a closer reading of the story suggests that maybe — just maybe — the PPA might have put the brakes on the rate hike because it’s feeling a certain kind of heat that could stem from either people using parking lots more, or, as expected, people just not coming into Center City altogether. Look at this quote from the Philadelphia Business Journal:
“The most recent parking surveys confirmed that the rate adjustments implemented in January have achieved the goal of creating more parking opportunities,” PPA Executive Director Vince Fenerty said.
“More parking opportunities”? You betcha. We’ve gone into Center City on recent weeknights and found the place to be a ghost town, relative to what you might have seen a year or two ago. This fact, of course, has the overall economy woes tied to it, but also, anecdotally, we’ve been using parking lots (not City-owned ones, either) far more because, fuck it, paying $8 or more is still more convenient than fishing around for three fucking dollars in quarters. Could it be that the PPA’s earlier rate hike in January is beginning to bite both itself and local merchants in the ass? Probably. Elsewhere in this same story is the fact that the PPA is shuffling down to lower rates in the peripheries of Center City, and still, always, promising those credit card meters. Uh, thanks, PPA. One day, when your bone-headed agreement with the City of Philadelphia is up and all of your myriad crimes are exposed, we might all be able to laugh about this. Until then, Fuck You.
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:40 am
I really can’t stand parking on the streets of Philadelphia anymore. Hunting for quarters was a struggle when you just needed a dollar per hour, but getting two or more dollars from a local business is near impossible. Most businesses won’t even give you change unless you purchase something (which I find is very rude: Starbucks).
Anymore, I just park like ten blocks from my destination just because you end up walking that far anyway when trying to get change for the meters.
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
I wrote an article about the PPA a few weeks back. I agree, they suck! They are one of the only government agencies in Philadelphia that turns a huge profit. It’s all because they train their employees how not to display a sense of customer service. I give them an FU squared.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
What IS the deal with the only quarters thing???
I don’t mind paying $2/hour, but I think I should be able to use dimes to do it. Or instead of altering every meter in town to quarters-only, why not add more of those machines that print out a time slip? Then I can pay with dollars, credit cards, whatever.
(and yes, PPA, I know you have those payment cards, but the last one I bought was hit-and-miss for whether it would be accepted, so it was back to hunting for quarters.)
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:36 pm
i say this as a city resident and a former suburbanite who frequently traveled to the city: take mass transit when coming to the city and/or traveling around it. problem solved
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
the PPA should work with local business to subsidize parking and encourage return visits — maybe offer store-branded Smart Cards to be given with purchases, pre-filled with a nominal amount, in the manner of parking (lot) validations.