Sidewalk Parking (Pittsburgh, Washington, Prospect: 2013, houses, neighborhoods)

[lprmesia]

Hello,

There's been a lot of fighting on a local Facebook group page (Mt. Washington News) about sidewalk parking. This has been going on for some time but recently has gotten out of hand with people calling the police to issue citations, telling other people to move, sell their car, etc...

Just like many city neighborhoods the streets are narrow, few houses have off street parking, and the neighborhood is made up of a large number of people who have cars without off street parking, people who have cars WITH off street parking, and people without cars that have no off street parking.

The major gripe seems to come from the people who don't have cars complaining about the people who do have cars with no offstreet parking that park either partially or almost entirely on the sidewalk. There's a few different fights here:

1. Homeowners complaining that they have to replace the sidewalks.
2. People stating they need to park on the sidewalks to avoid getting their mirrors knocked off.
3. People stating they need to park on the sidewalks to allow enough width for emergency vehicles to get through.
4. Walkers complaining that they have to walk in the street because the sidewalks are blocked.
5. Walkers complaining about the condition of sidewalks from the wear and tear of cars creating poor conditions for people with strollers or in wheelchairs.

What's it like in your neighborhood? Is there just as much infighting? Are there solutions?

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by lprmesia

Hello,

There's been a lot of fighting on a local Facebook group page (Mt. Washington News) about sidewalk parking. This has been going on for some time but recently has gotten out of hand with people calling the police to issue citations, telling other people to move, sell their car, etc...

Just like many city neighborhoods the streets are narrow, few houses have off street parking, and the neighborhood is made up of a large number of people who have cars without off street parking, people who have cars WITH off street parking, and people without cars that have no off street parking.

The major gripe seems to come from the people who don't have cars complaining about the people who do have cars with no offstreet parking that park either partially or almost entirely on the sidewalk. There's a few different fights here:

1. Homeowners complaining that they have to replace the sidewalks.
2. People stating they need to park on the sidewalks to avoid getting their mirrors knocked off.
3. People stating they need to park on the sidewalks to allow enough width for emergency vehicles to get through.
4. Walkers complaining that they have to walk in the street because the sidewalks are blocked.
5. Walkers complaining about the condition of sidewalks from the wear and tear of cars creating poor conditions for people with strollers or in wheelchairs.

What's it like in your neighborhood? Is there just as much infighting? Are there solutions?

On my street in mount washington we have the same problem. I drive to work (begrudgingly) but certain people park way, way on the sidewalk. It's extremely annoying because I walk everywhere and it's a constant pain to walk in someones yard or on the street. I'm very pro ticketing people who park on sidewalks

[Moby Hick]

There are a few streets in my area where it must be allowed informally so I wouldn't complain about it, but mostly I hate it. I still remember all the problems back when I was trying to push a stroller around. And delivery trucks are the worst. I think that has cost me sidewalk paving money.

To be clear, I do complain about it when it is my sidewalk. If everybody has been doing it on a different different for ten years, I'm not going to be the one to raise a fuss.

[fleetiebelle]

I live in Beechview and people do park up on the sidewalk. As a homeowner, I don't love it, but the street is narrow, and unless the city made one whole side No Parking (which would create a cluster**** in its own right) I don't know what the solution is. Most people don't entirely block the sidewalk, but I can see how it would be annoying for someone with a stroller or a disabled person.

[lprmesia]

Some streets I can see why people are mad. Some streets are plenty wide like Shaler St or Virginia Ave and people park fine, but some streets like Prospect Street (where people park ENTIRELY on the sidewalk) are so narrow that if no one sidewalk parked, emergency vehicles (and maybe even certain cars) wouldn't be able to get through. Other streets like Maple Terrace are so narrow that even with people on both sides parking halfway on the sidewalk it's barely wide enough to fit a single car.

Someone mentioned removing the sidewalk on one side of the street to allow for widening the street, but I'm not sure that people would be happy about giving up their sidewalk.

Unfortunately most of the Google Maps street views are midday while people are at work so it's hard to get the full effect, but I'm sure some of you either live up here or live in similar enough situations to know what I'm talking about.

Is anyone familiar with any initiatives that have happened in Pittsburgh to combat this other than telling people to "move" if they don't like it?

[gladhands]

Limit parking to one side of the street, ticket and tow. If you have to park six blocks from your house, so be it.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by gladhands

Limit parking to one side of the street, ticket and tow. If you have to park six blocks from your house, so be it.

That kind of policy would certainly be a boon for Pittsburgh cement masons interested in building driveways

[lprmesia]

Part of the problem too is there's not enough space between the houses for a driveway and most of the zoning doesn't allow Parking Pads (although the ones that exist are grandfathered in). They've also ticketed people with parking pads that partially block the sidewalk because they're not long enough.

Some houses have no ability to build any type of offstreet parking.

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by lprmesia

Part of the problem too is there's not enough space between the houses for a driveway and most of the zoning doesn't allow Parking Pads (although the ones that exist are grandfathered in). They've also ticketed people with parking pads that partially block the sidewalk because they're not long enough.

Some houses have no ability to build any type of offstreet parking.

Ask a city inspector parking pads are not grandfathered in. It may have recently changed but you were not allowed to park in front of your house in the city if you had off street parking. I don't have time to find it now but a few years ago the city was fining people for it

[guy2073]

Some City Residents Being Fined For Parking In Their Own Driveway « CBS Pittsburgh