Legislation Giving Every Philadelphia Hotel a Free Parking Space is Pulled
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A bill that would give Philadelphia hotels exclusive use of a single on-street parking space failed to advance today after a City Council hearing.
The plan before City Council's Streets Committee would have reserved a single parking space for a hotel-owned car near every hotel to give complimentary local trips to guests.
"In order for the Philadelphia hotel industry to keep up with other cities, the dream of a reserved hotel vehicle parking space, we feel, needs to be a reality," Steven Pollack, an attorney for the Latham Hotel at 17th and Walnut Streets (photo), told the committee.
But Rick Dickson of the Philadelphia Parking Authority said public parking spaces should be for the public.
"To reserve it for a vehicle which will be parked 90 percent of the time displaces dozens of other vehicles," he said.
And, he added, it would only increase double-parking in front of hotels.
The sponsor of the bill, Councilman Frank DiCicco, opted to hold the bill in light of the opposition from both the Parking Authority and the Nutter administration.
Reported by KYW City Hall bureau chief Mike Dunn
