Evans City free parking to end
EVANS CITY — The experiment with free parking is over in the borough.
The covers will come off the 140 parking meters on Aug. 1, and motorists will again pay for parking.
That’s the word from the council, which voted Tuesday to reopen the parking meters.
The meters, which are on Main, Washington, Jefferson and Jackson streets, were covered starting in May for three months to determine whether free parking would help businesses.
“They said it makes no difference,” Councilman John McKinney said of his discussions with business owners. “It hasn’t made their revenue go up or down.”
Council President Lee Dyer said he also talked to many business owners about the free parking. Some said motorists parked at the hooded meters all day, which takes up parking places for shoppers.
Dyer said many businesses have parking for their customers in the rear of their buildings.
He said the meters earn the borough about $1,000 per month. Parking on Main Street costs 25 cents for a half-hour, and the same amount for an hour on the side streets.
McKinney suggested that the borough hire a meter reader because he said the Evans City-Seven Fields Police officers do not pay attention to the meters in the borough.
Councilman Dave Spithaler disagreed, saying it would increase the borough’s expenditures. He said the police should be writing tickets.
“We’re paying to have it done, so they should do it,” Spithaler said. “We shouldn’t have to increase our costs. It’s ridiculous.”
Dyer said he thinks the police look at parking tickets as “small change” and “not a moneymaker.”
Spithaler countered that the borough’s contribution for police services should be reduced if officers are ignoring the meters.
He also said if a meter reader is hired, the cost for the new employee should come out of the police budget and not the borough budget.
Dyer said he will talk to the police officials about ticketing expired meters starting Aug. 1.
He said the fine for a parking meter violation in the borough is $5.
EDCO Park Authority President John Rogers said parking fines are $10 to $15 near his workplace. He suggested the council should consider increasing the violation amount.
“If you break the law, you should pay for it,” Rogers said.
