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Study urges parking modernization

Access controls, charging methods should be automated, consultant says

The consultant conducting a downtown parking study recommends that the city automate its access controls, charging methods, payment collection and enforcement.

Trans Associates of Pittsburgh is not recommending that the city build a garage or add surface parking.

Trans did not provide a total cost for putting all its recommendations into practice, but it would probably amount to a few hundred thousand dollars, according to one official.

“Not astronomical,” said City Manager Omar Strohm after a presentation this week by Trans engineer Bob Goetz. “The city probably ought to take a step forward to become modernized with respect to parking downtown.”

There isn’t much public funding available to help with that, though, Goetz told City Council members.

Trans recommends installing remote controlled access gates to the city lots and multi-space kiosks for payments in those lots and for some street spaces.

Trans also recommends acquisition of “app” software to accommodate the kiosk payments and to help drivers locate spaces, and it recommends acquisition of handheld ticketing machines, along with printers.

The kiosks, which would accept credit card and ApplePay, as well as payment through the app, would cost up to $15,000 each — not including software integration, according to the consultant.

The remote controlled access gates, which would be operable by keyfob, clamshell card or windshield tags that would be provided to leaseholders, would cost up to $25,000 each — not including software integration, according to the consultant.

The payment app would cost up to $1,000, while the ticket machines would cost up to $1,000 each, according to the consultant.

While modern, the suggested equipment is “tried and true,” Goetz told council members.

Many much smaller municipalities already handle their parking with such equipment, including a town of 3,000 near Pittsburgh that has installed kiosks, Goetz said.

While Trans isn’t recommending adding more city-owned parking spaces, it does suggest that the city negotiate parking easements in private lots for use after business hours.

It also calls for increasing the maximum duration of some street spaces, because motorists often leave their vehicles beyond the deadline for vacating those spaces.

And the consultant suggests requiring payment to park on 11th Avenue, the main thoroughfare downtown, between 13th and 15th streets.

The study takes into account six proposed developments — in the former McCrory’s building, in the Penn Central building, at Levity Brewing and at a location on 13th Avenue, a location on 11th Avenue and a location on 12th Avenue.

Those new developments will generate a peak demand of 160 spaces, based on the availability of public spaces within 300 feet — or 600, if they’re on 11th Avenue, according to the study.

The area can handle that additional demand, based on peak occupancy of downtown’s 475 street spaces being only 52%, and based on peak occupancy of its 698 off-street city-controlled spaces being just 58%, according to information in a written report from the consultant.

There are 2,212 private spaces in the downtown study area, according to the consultant.

“It seems we have adequate space, but we need to manage it better,” said Councilman Bruce Kelley.

The consultant also recommends installation of bike racks in city lots and the garage; adding loading zones at the ends of blocks; improving signs for and availability of accessible spaces; installing signs directing motorists coming into downtown from Seventh Street; increasing the length of spaces for parallel parking; increasing the width of compact car spaces; adding requirements that new developments provide electric vehicle chargers; exempting small developments from the requirement to provide off-street parking; and reducing the number of spaces required for restaurants.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.

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