Commissioners tackle seveeral parking issues

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mt. Lebanon commissioners on Monday tackled several thorny issues involving parking, including approval of a permanent ban on parking in the Main Entrance Drive area on weekday mornings.

Members also reached a consensus on overnight parking rules.

After a lengthy discussion, commissioners said they would favor a plan to offer three free parking passes to residents for overnight, on-street parking.

After that, residents with special circumstances could request as many as 15 more nights from the municipal manager.

The issue came to a head recently after officials received a number of complaints about cars parked on the streets overnight.

A 1977 ordinance that banned parking from 2 to 6 a.m. was tweaked after a 2000 parking study showed that certain areas lacked enough parking.

The municipality established overnight parking zones that cost $240 a year. By 2011, it was expanded with a provision to allow requests for on-street parking for overnight guests and other special circumstances.

But police Chief Aaron Lauth said the special circumstances are now being abused, with hundreds of people request overnight, onstreetparking each night.

Requests for the new passes would be made using vehicle license plates, which will be tracked through special software and cameras that the municipality is planning to purchase for police vehicles.

There would be no fees for parking passes and new overnight parking zones would be added in areas where on-street parking is most often used.

Commission members plan to vote on the new plan next month.

Members unanimously approved permanent restrictions for parking on Main Entrance, Lebanon Hills, Circle and Outlook drives area after a temporary ban last year got a favorable response from residents.

The temporary ban, which prohibited parking from 7 to 9 a.m. on school days, was instituted after residents complained about high school students parking in front of their homes because school lots were closed due to a major high school renovation.

Residentscomplained that carsblocked their driveways, hindered garbage and leaf collection and posed a safety hazard.

“Ever since we put the signs up, we’ve had zero complaints,”said Chief Lauth.

Seven residents turned out for recent traffic board meetings to support the permanent parking ban, manager Keith McGill said, and the traffic board recommended approval.

Chief Lauth said students are now parking at the high school lots, which were finished last summer.

The commission also addressed complaints from residents of Inglew o o d D r i v e , b e t w e e n Beadling and Crescent roads, who said the roadway was too narrow with cars parked on both sides of the street.

The traffic board recommended and the comm i s s i o n approved no parking on either side of Inglewood in the area between Beadling Road and Crescent Drive.