Councilmember Mark Squilla Proposes Dynamic Priced Parking As Solution To Philadelphia's Parking Problems
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Parking wars. A new plan could drive up what you pay for parking in the City of Philadelphia.
One councilmember is trying to find a way to curb the congestion in the city. Some agree with him, others not so much.
Brake lights, bumper-to-bumper traffic and no open spots. It's no secret parking in the city is a pain.
"We're trying to reduce the congestion on the streets," Philadelphia Councilmember Mark Squilla said.
Squilla is hoping to offer some relief. Squilla's proposing dynamic priced parking, which means rates would be based on the parking demand in the city.
"When there is less demand, the pricing will be less, and the higher demand times, the pricing will be more," he said.
He hopes this will free up space, urge people to take public transportation and make navigating the city more convenient.
"To sort of help with congestion and make it safer for both pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists to not only frequent and use the streets, but also be able to park when they do come here," Squilla said.
Other cities like New York, Seattle and San Francisco already have this plan in place.
But not everyone is on board with the new proposed pilot program, saying any price hike will hurt.
"That's not right, that's not fair to the people of Philadelphia," Mickie Goodson said. "Most of the people who go in town, they are going to the hospital and they're going to their doctors and they on a month-to-month income."
Squilla says the goal of this program is to test the waters and see if this is a good fit in the city.
"But we are going to listen to those concerns and work with those folks," Squilla said. "If we need to adapt and change the program, we'll do that."
Prices and locations are in the works.
If this does pass, you could see the changes in 2022.
