As the pandemic continues to rage on, one repeated complaint we have received is that there is not enough available parking for both residents and business-goers in our downtown area. Residents, who are not traveling to and from work anymore, are parking on the street for extended periods of time, giving shoppers and business goers few places to park.
Obviously, this challenge is not any single groups “fault.” Residents living in our downtown core did not expect to be working from home, or not working, for nearly a year with nowhere to put their vehicle. Similarly, business owners may not have planned to move to a pick-up/curbside driven business model with such a busy road to contend with. In addition, the SEPTA parking garage has been closed to public parking with no date given for an anticipated re-opening.
To help alleviate some of this challenge, the borough is making lot parking available to residents of the downtown area who do not have access to parking. In December, a letter went out directly to all the applicable residents alerting them to this opportunity. Passes are available free of charge through the duration of the pandemic and residents only need to show proof of residency, a driver’s license, and their registration to receive a pass. Residents of our downtown area can go HERE to register their vehicle to park in one of the lots shown in the picture below.
In addition to the beginning of this new program, parking rules and regulations will go back into effect in February. Beginning on Feb. 1, warnings will be issued to any car parked unlawfully. On Feb. 15, warnings will no longer be issued and ticketing will resume for all patrolled lots and parking spaces. This is to ensure that businesses are seeing the necessary turnover that they are looking for to keep their business running as best they can.
Every effort is being made to ensure residents who are being affected by the pandemic have a place to park their car for extended periods of time. While this solution is likely imperfect for some (i.e., having to walk further to park your car, carrying groceries further, etc.), it is a reasonable solution to an ongoing problem. This is a test to see how it works and if a parking program offered by the borough will help alleviate some parking congestion in our business areas.
Again, if you are eligible and you have not signed up yet for a parking space, please follow the link above or come to the Lansdale Police Department at One Vine St. to receive your parking pass before enforcement goes into full effect.
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Mayoral Musings: Thoughts On The Insurrections At The Capitol
Mayoral Musings: Municipal Dreams For 2021
Mayoral Musings: Lansdale’s 2021 Budget Includes No New Taxes, No Tax Increases
