SEPTA plans to start charging for garage parking at the busy Lansdale Station soon after Labor Day. And the borough hopes to have a permanent permit parking plan in place for the surrounding neighborhood by then.
Since its construction in Spring 2017, parking in Lansdale’s 680-space multi-level garage has been free, a bargain for commuters. But with the opening of the Madison Lansdale Station apartments and the clearing of construction work in the immediate area, the transit agency intends to charge $2 a day as early as Sept. 3, SEPTA has informed the borough.
Officials expect commuters to scatter through the neighborhood seeking free on-street parking.
At a meeting with SEPTA about three weeks ago, "I asked General Manager Jeff Knueppel what in his experience happens to on street parking” when the agency starts charging for garages, Lansdale Police Chief Michael Trail told the borough’s monthly Public Safety Committee meeting Wednesday.
"He said you’re definitely going to see pressure. Folks who are in the garage for free, for $2 a day are going to try to find places to park on the street,” said Trail. "His experience having put garages in urban areas has been, if you don’t address it up front, you’re gong to find yourself with a problem.”
SEPTA’s schedule puts Lansdale on an accelerated timeline.
The borough looks to host a public informational presentation within the next few weeks. Committee members agreed to try to move a proposal to the full council for advertisement in July and approval in August, with a target implementation of Sept. 3.
The proposed area encompasses portions of Walnut, Second, Third, Courtland and Green Streets, and Susquehanna, Derstine and Richardson Avenues.
"I would highly recommend council take action on permit parking for the area specifically immediately around the garage,” said Mayor Garry Herbert. "We’re going to see other areas of the borough where pressure for parking will get intense after Madison gets done. … So I feel this is a great first step.”
"We’ve talked about it a couple of times in this committee,” said Councilman Jack Hansen, "and I’ve been opposed to permit parking. But after your research, I’m going to support it for this area because we have to take care of the residents.”
"It’s a needs-based assessment,” Trail agreed.
