After almost a year of debate, Bethlehem City Council backed hiking the city’s parking fines by $5.
The ordinance to increase the fines passed on first reading in a 5-2 vote with Councilwoman Olga Negron and Dr. Paige Van Wirt voting against it. Council is expected to vote on the measure for a second and final vote later this month.
Last month, a majority of council voted to override Negron and Van Wirt’s recommendation to hold off on the Bethlehem Parking Authority’s request to raise the fines from $10.
The parking authority argues that it needs to hike fines to deter parking violations. Currently, it costs $10 a day to park in a city garage, so people are willing to roll the dice, not feed the meters and risk the $10 ticket.
Authority Executive Director Kevin Livingston first asked to raise the ticket violations in 2014 and again in 2018. Last year, council postponed voting on the fine increase as it sought more information about the planned Polk Street parking deck and potential for variable-rate parking in the city.
Negron agrees the fines should be increased, but it concerns her that meter rates already jumped to $1.50 this year and the authority’s financial projections show future increases. She sees that as a big burden to people in the downtowns, especially the Southside. Negron urged the mayor to work with the authority to stop future hourly rate increases.
“I feel this is a snowball that’s been created,” Negron said.
Van Wirt’s floated creating a pilot program that offers free parking in in concert with more expensive parking fines -- like $30 or $40 for overstaying time limits -- in hopes of putting more shoppers on the streets of the Historic District and Southside. Council members again expressed support for the idea, although they didn’t wish to link the fine increase with a pilot.
The authority is open to the idea, but its board wants guidance from council on how such a pilot should operate and wants to know if the city plans to foot any of the bill.
Parking is a complex issue with far rippling effects, but Councilman J. William Reynolds said he supports exploring Van Wirt’s idea. Given the complexity, there must be collaboration and open communication to develop a uniform idea, he said. Reynolds urged the parking authority to keep studying ways to tweak its system so it can write fewer tickets.
“People hate getting parking tickets,” he said.
Council President Adam Waldron supports the fine increase to increasing compliance rates, but he also wants to see conversations about the authority thinking creatively with its parking policy. What would happen if the city offered free parking with a higher fine increase, he queried. It’s a complicated question and it requires input from the authority’s board, merchants and other stakeholders, Waldron said.
Councilman Bryan Callahan, who is council’s liaison to the parking authority, said he supports free parking but not on Main Street where parking is at a premium. Merchants want spots turning over quickly, he said.
“The goal is not to have people park there all day long,” Callahan said.
City council will vote on the fine increase ordinance on second reading at its 7 p.m. Nov. 19 meeting. Once it is passed, the new fine goes into effect at least 20 days after Mayor Bob Donchez signs it.
Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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Bethlehem parking fines are poised to jump $5 - lehighvalleylive.com
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