permit parking proposal, 2005

A Proposal Jointly Sponsored by Manayunk Neighborhood Council and Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association

Forward — Taking the Initiative

On behalf of area residents, the two local civic associations — Manayunk Neighborhood Council and Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association — are supporting this proposal for a residential Permit Parking program in your neighborhood.

This program is designed to reduce local parking congestion by limiting parking — from late afternoon until very late at night — only to those whose cars are registered to an address within the Permit Parking District. Of all available options, a Permit Parking program is the most practical and likely to have the best results.

Permit Parking does not guarantee you a parking place . . . but it sure makes finding one a lot easier.

The program will not solve all your parking problems, but it should make very noticeable improvements for you and your neighbors. The only way to find that out for sure is to try the program for nine months. Other neighborhoods in the city have employed Permit Parking programs with success, and so can we.

On the next page [of the brochure] you will find the main points of the of the proposed Permit Parking program.

The rest of this booklet will provide you with more detailed information, such as how local residents studied our parking problem, the procedure used to vote on the proposal, and why they chose this neighborhood for a Permit Parking program.

In a few days civic association volunteers will come to your door to answer your questions about this proposal, and to ask for your signature on a petition for the Permit Parking program. The date and time of their scheduled visit is given below. In preparation, please study the material in this booklet carefully and talk about it with your family and neighbors.

We hope that you will choose to try this Permit Parking program, to see how it works for you and your neighbors. Staying stuck in a parking crisis is not our only alternative. Your choice can make a difference.

Thanks for giving your cooperation and time to consider this important proposal.

Permit Parking Proposal — Main Points

1. These will be the boundaries of the proposed Permit Parking District (please refer to map on the next page [of the brochure]):
   • Northern boundary: Terrace Street (south side) and Tower Street (both sides)
   • Eastern boundary: Markle Street (both sides)
   • Southern boundary: Cresson Street (both sides)
   • Western boundary: Jamestown Street (east side)

2. This is the schedule for the Permit Parking program that we recommend:
   • Daily, 5:00 P. M. to 2:00 A. M., with no parking allowed without a permit during the entire time (no grace period)
3. The Parking Authority asks that we include this alternate schedule in the referendum:
   • Daily, 4:00 P. M., to 2:00 A.M., with parking allowed for up to 1 hour without a permit
4. For the referendum to pass, a majority of at least 70% of all households within the proposed Permit Parking District must vote in favor of the proposal.
5. To be eligible for Permit Parking your vehicle must have Pennsylvania license plates, and it must be registered to your home within the Permit Parking District.
6. The Parking Authority does not limit the number of Parking Permits or Visitor Parking Permits that a household may get, as long as eligibility requirements are met.
7. For the first year, the Parking Authority charges a $35 fee for a Parking permit, and $20 a year thereafter.
8. For a $15 fee, the Parking Authority will issue a temporary, 15-day Visitor Permit for a specific license plate.
9. Once residents approve the program, the Parking Authority will run the Permit Parking program on a 9-month trial basis.
10. After the trial period the civic associations will evaluate the effectiveness of the Permit Parking program before they decide whether to ask City Council to formally adopt the District.

Studying the Parking Problem

11. Philadelphia is one of many cities that utilizes permit parking programs as a practical way to relieve residents’ parking problems.
12. Currently Philadelphia has approximately thirty residential Permit Parking Districts.
13. The Philadelphia residents in the current Permit Parking programs have decided that the advantages of Permit Parking outweigh the disadvantages.
14. Last spring the two local civic associations hosted a series of meetings for Manayunk and Wissahickon residents to discuss not only permit parking, but also all alternatives that might improve local parking problems.
15. After meeting regularly for several months, the study group concluded that the possible use of vacant lots as residential parking lots would not significantly improve the situation, and would have its own set of problems.
16. The residents’ study of existing Permit Parking programs in Philadelphia and other cities showed that those programs do not have negative effects on property values or sales.
17. After considerable study, the group’s consensus was that a permit parking program was more likely to improve the parking problem than any other alternative.

When it feels like their parking problems have reached a crisis level, residents are motivated to choose Permit Parking, because it works.

18. Residents who do not qualify for a Parking Permit will probably park their vehicles in nearby neighborhoods, which will encourage those adjacent neighborhoods to join the Permit Parking District.
19. In practice, the original boundaries of a Permit Parking District usually continue to expand when adjacent neighborhoods realize the benefits of being included in the District.
20. The Parking Authority has asked our two civic associations to coordinate the process by which additional blocks will join the Permit Parking District, if this proposal is approved.
21. Other blocks may join the Permit Parking District even before the District’s 9-month trial period is over.
22. Generally the bigger a Permit Parking District becomes the better the program works.

Putting Together a Proposal

23. The Permit Parking proposal is the result of rigorous study by a large group local residents who brain stormed all possible alternatives that could relieve our parking problems.
24. The series of study group meetings was well publicized, and all residents were encouraged to participate . . . and many did.
25. Many different alternatives to lessen parking problems were discussed and studied— not just permit parking — including the pros and cons of each, and possible unintended consequences.
26. The residents’ study group handed out questionnaires to residents, and did extensive poling to help them understand the parking problem, and possibilities for improvement.
27. Most of the respondents said that the parking problem is definitely a major factor in the community’s worsening quality of life, which needs to be improved.
28. As you know, whenever parking problems are discussed publicly, residents’ emotions generally run high. The residents’ study group deserves credit for tackling this challenging problem with a positive attitude.

Most of our streets and houses were built before the automobile became a part of almost every family’s life.

29. Finally, the group of residents concluded that a Permit Parking program is most likely to have a positive effect than any other alternative, and that it should be given a try.
30. In turn, the two civic associations presented the study group’s findings to their members, and those bodies voted to sponsor jointly this Permit Parking proposal.
31. The proposed Permit Parking District lies within the boundaries of both of the civic associations, and many of their members live in the proposed District.

Why This Neighborhood?

32. The residents’ study group chose this multi-block area for the proposed Permit Parking District, because parking problems are worse there than in most other parts of the community. This is because of the neighborhood’s large number of rental properties, and its proximity to Main Street.
33. The study group chose 5:00 P. M. to 2:00 A. M. daily — with no parking at any time without a permit, with no “grace period” — as the schedule for No Parking Without A Permit,. They recommended this schedule, because those are the hours when most residents are coming home from work, and when Main Street patrons and employees are trying to avoid paying parking lot fees by parking in the neighborhood.
34. Businesses within the Permit Parking District are unlikely to be effected by the Permit Parking program, since the recommended No Parking schedule, which has no “grace period,” would not begin until 5:00 P. M. daily.

Permit Parking has a good chance of making real improvements, and deserves a try.

35. Similarly, the Permit Parking program is unlikely to negatively affect your home repair services, daytime guests, visiting nurses, residential contractors, etc.
36. The Permit Parking program will not solve all your parking problems, but the program’s practical benefits should outweigh whatever inconveniences.

Program Details

37. All Permit Parking programs in Philadelphia are run by the Philadelphia Parking Authority, which was created by the state legislature.
38. All Permit Parking Districts are run the same in every way, except each District determines its boundaries and its schedule for No Parking Without A Permit.
39. All revenue from fees and fines for Permit Parking programs go to the Parking Authority, and is not shared with the community.
40. Since this is a residential Permit Parking program, the Parking Authority has no provision for businesses within the proposed District to vote in the referendum, nor to obtain Parking Permits.
41. You are eligible to apply for a permit if your vehicle has a Pennsylvania license plate, and it is registered to your home address within the Permit District.
42. To apply for a Parking Permit you must have your vehicle registration. Additionally, you must have at least one of the following documents:
    1. Your Driver’s License showing your address in the Permit Parking District
    2. Your current lease in your name for an address within the Parking District
    3. A recent utility bill in your name for an address within the Parking District

    Requiring tenants to register their vehicles to a rental address in the Permit Parking District will slow the increase in rental properties.

43. You may apply for a Parking Permit by mail or in person at 3101 Market Street in Center City.
44. You may call the Parking Authority (215-683-9730) if you have questions, to request that they mail you a Parking Permit application form.
45. For the convenience of those who wish to apply for a permit, the Parking Authority will provide registration services at a location near the Permit Parking District, if this proposal is approved.
46. You may mail your application along with copies of the required documents to the Parking Authority. Do not send original documents.
47. If you have three or more unpaid Philadelphia parking tickets, you must pay all outstanding fines and penalties before the Parking Authority will issue you a Parking Permit.
48. If you change your vehicle or license plate, the Parking Authority will issue you a replacement Parking Permit for a $10 fee.
49. If you move outside the Permit Parking District or sell your vehicle, the Parking Authority will not give you a refund.
50. You can find information about the residential Permit Parking program online at the Parking Authority’s website (www.philapark.org).

(Few) Exemptions

51. You are exempt from the requirement that your vehicle be registered to an address within the Permit Parking District if either of these situations applies to you:
    1. You drive a company car (including a leased company car)
    2. You are on active military duty and stationed in Philadelphia
52. To verify that you drive a company car, you must provide the Parking Authority with a letter on company letterhead stating that you drive a company car. You must also provide the vehicle registration and proof of residency within the Parking District (your current lease in your name or a recent utility bill in your name).
53. To verify that you are on active military duty in Philadelphia, you must present the Parking Authority with your military orders. You must also provide your vehicle registration and proof of residency within the Parking District (your current lease in your name or a recent utility bill in your name).
54. When you have verified that you drive a company car or are stationed in Philadelphia — and have paid the annual fee — the Parking Authority will issue you a Parking Permit.
55. If you are a student living temporarily in the Permit Parking District, you are not exempt from the requirement that your vehicle be registered to an address within the Permit Parking District.

9-month Trial Period

56. Initially the Permit Parking program will run for a 9-month trial period, at the end of which the civic associations will evaluate any objections to continuing the program, with the option of repealing the program.
57. If those enrolled in the program express more support than opposition to continuing the program, the civic associations will request that City Council enact legislation formally establishing the Permit Parking District.
58. The Parking Authority allows residents to have a say in only two aspects of a Permit Parking program:
    1. The boundaries of the Permit Parking District
    2. The schedule for No Parking Without A Permit within the District
59. In the future, if residents feel that the Permit Parking program is no longer serving their needs, they can vote on repealing the program, using a referendum like the one used to approve the program originally.

Getting Visitor Parking Permits

60. Visitor Parking Permits are available only to those residents who qualify to participate in the Permit Parking program (please refer to Page 14 [of the brochure] for acceptable documentation of residence).A Visitor Parking Permit allows a vehicle to park in the Permit Parking District during the No Parking Without A Permit schedule.
61. Residents seeking Visitor Permits do not have to own a vehicle.
62. For a $15 fee, the Parking Authority will issue a temporary, 15-day Visitor Parking Permit.
63. The Parking Authority will only issue a Visitor Parking Permit for a specific license plate number.
64. A Visitor Parking Permit allows a vehicle to park in the Permit Parking District during the No Parking Without A Permit schedule.

If Permit Parking does not provide enough benefits, the program can be repealed.

65. You may receive only two consecutive, back-to-back, Visitor Parking Permits for the same license plate number — then you must wait at least 45 days to get another Visitor Permit for that same vehicle.
66. The Parking Authority does not limit the number of Visitor Parking Permits for eligible households.
67. A strict Visitor Parking Permit policy is necessary, because if you could repeatedly get Visitor Parking Permits for vehicles not registered in the District, it would undermine the effectiveness of the Permit Parking program.

Enforcing Permit Parking

68. Philadelphia Parking Authority personnel will patrol the Permit Parking District during the No Parking Without A Permit schedule, and write tickets for vehicles parked illegally.
69. A ticket for illegal parking in a Permit Parking District — during the No Parking Without A Permit schedule — is $25, increasing to $63 if the ticket is not paid within 30 days.
70. Permits are valid only for the Permit Parking District in which your vehicle is registered.
71. You must obey all traffic-related regulations in the Permit Parking District, including Loading Zone, No Truck Parking, Handicapped Parking, etc.
72. Larger Permit Parking Districts yield more revenue from ticketing for the Parking Authority, so the Authority has an incentive to regularly patrol larger Districts.
73. The proposed Permit Parking District is designed to be large enough to warrant regular patrol by the Parking Authority.
74. While on patrol, Parking Authority personnel also will “boot” vehicles they identify as having more than three unpaid parking tickets.
75. The Parking Authority generally does not tow vehicles in our area, because of the lack of a nearby impounding facility, and because of the likelihood of damaging vehicles on our narrow, hilly streets.
76. Philadelphia City Police will continue to ticket vehicles for parking on sidewalks, in crosswalks, by fire hydrants, and other safety violations (call 9 1 1).
77. Police will not allow residents to reserve parking spaces with trashcans, lawn chairs, cones, etc. (call Fifth Police District, 215-686-3052).
78. To free up more on-street parking, residents may request the Parking Authority to remove Handicapped Parking signs and spaces that are no longer needed (call the Parking Authority, 215-683-9746).

Approval Proposal

79. The Parking Authority requires a proposed Permit Parking program to be approved by at least 51% of 70% of the total number of households within the proposed Permit Parking District.
80. To determine the total number of households in the proposed Permit Parking District, civic association volunteers will count the number of door bells within the proposed Permit District.
81. Each household has one vote in the referendum, whether or not residents are property owners or tenants; or whether their vehicles have Pennsylvania license plates, or are registered to their address within the proposed Permit Parking District.
82. The Parking Authority usually requires a vote on each block within the proposed Permit Parking District; however — in response to our Civic Associations’ request — Fourth District Councilman Michael Nutter has arranged with the Parking Authority to recognize a majority vote within the whole proposed District, rather than on a block-by-block basis.

Every household may vote in the referendum, but only households that meet eligibility requirements may obtain Parking Permits.

83. Civic association volunteers will conduct the referendum by going door-to-door to answer questions, and to provide a petition for signing.
84. In advance of their visit, the volunteers will distribute this booklet door-to-door, which will provide you time to study the proposal before voting.
85. The volunteers will notify households of the date and time of their scheduled visit (check the bottom of Page 5 [of the brochure] for information about your scheduled visit).
86. Soon after the referendum, volunteers will distribute flyers to residents announcing the outcome of the Parking Permit referendum.

Referendum Vote — Make Your Choice

87. For this referendum, the boundaries of the proposed Permit Parking District and/or the two choices for the No Parking Without A Permit schedule cannot be changed or amended.
88. Should this proposal fail to gain approval, the civic associations will probably make another proposal with different Permit District boundaries and/or No Parking Without A Permit schedule.

“Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will so no good. ‘Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Writer

89. If you vote against this proposal, please let us know what boundaries and/or hours would get your future vote, so that the civic associations can use that information to define a different proposal, if necessary.

Contact Information

Manayunk Neighborhood Council

P O Box 4667

Philadelphia PA 10127

mail@manayunkcouncil.org

www.manayunkcouncil.org

Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association

P O Box 35073

Philadelphia PA 19128

contact@e-wnca.org

www.e-wnca.org

Philadelphia Parking Authority

Residential Permit Parking Office

3101 Market Street

Philadelphia PA 19103

215-683-9730

www.philapark.org

Do Your Part. Be an active civic association member.

Your help is needed on these quality of life issues:

• Traffic and parking
• Zoning and over-development
• Nuisance bars and noisy neighbors
• Community greening and street trees
• Neighborhood events and recreation
• Collaboration with the business community

Manayunk Neighborhood Council is a community organization serving residents of Manayunk and Roxborough.

M. N. C. meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month at Venice Island Recreation Center, Cotton Street and Manayunk Canal, 7:30 P. M.

Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association represents residents and businesses in the area between Main Street and Henry Avenue, and from Ridge Avenue to Shurs Lane.

W. N. C. A. meetings are held the second Monday of the month at Pilgrim Church, Terrace Street and Dawson Streets, 7:30 - 9:00 P. M.

Permit Parking does not promise you a parking place near your home . . . but it makes finding one much more likely, by reducing the number of cars competing for parking space.