Aspinwall parking study findings, recommendations revealed

A national consulting firm is proposing a number of recommendations to help mitigate parking issues in Aspinwall.

Among the suggestions offered on Feb. 20 by Walker Consultants were:

• Charge for residential parking permits and place limitations on them;

• Increase signage and communication of parking policies;

• Use new technology;

• Implement a parking permit program at St. Scholastica along Brilliant Avenue;

• Work with PennDOT to add crosswalks and lighting along Freeport Road to maximize parking along the busy thoroughfare.

“Tonight’s presentation is really the summation of the last five months worth of partnership with the borough,” said senior analyst Megan Gardo via Zoom.

At least 20 residents, including borough officials, packed council chambers and watched Gardo and fellow senior analyst Will Rhodin present their parking analysis.

Parking was among the top issues cited in the borough’s 2022 comprehensive plan.

The study was unanimously approved by council in August.

Study findings

The study found the borough has 2,394 publicly available spaces. That includes 1,385 on-street spaces, 364 off-street residential spaces and 349 off-street commercial spaces.

There are also 296 off-street public spaces, including the Merchant Lot, Commercial Avenue lot, Freeport Road and Field Avenue.

The study did not take into account driveways and garages, which are not accessible to the general public.

Volunteers took to the streets and parking lots Oct. 24 (a Thursday) and Oct. 26 (Saturday) as part of the parking study data collection.

According to the report, parking on the first day in upper Aspinwall peaked around 8 p.m. with 43% spaces occupied.

Lower Aspinwall peaked around 6 p.m. with 47% spaces occupied. The study noted there was light baseball activity that Thursday.

Parking on the second day in upper Aspinwall peaked around 6 p.m. with 43% of spaces occupied and lower Aspinwall peaked around noon with 46% spaces occupied. It did not say if there was any baseball being played.

Other data collection efforts included a business survey in which business owners weighed in on their parking needs for employees and customers. They submitted their hours of operation and related information.

Consultants also met in September with officials from local entities, including the borough, police department, chamber of commerce and Allegheny RiverTrail Park.

The study showed borough streets are too narrow to shift from parallel parking to more diagonal parking spaces that would allow for more vehicles.

Fourth and Fifth streets are so narrow that parking is only permitted on one side.

Maps used as part of the presentation had color-coded sections of the borough with red indicating parking occupancy rates of 85% or more and green areas showing most spaces available.

Many streets in the older part of the neighborhood, along Fifth and Fourth streets between Field and Eastern avenues, experienced high parking rates, according to the study.

Resident Sherrie Rizza lives along Fourth Street near the Field Avenue ball fields.

“Every slide I look at it’s red, red, red,” Rizza said of parking near her home.

Resident Patti McCaffrey said she feels the study does not reflect actual parking most of the time in the borough.

“What happens in June is not the same in October and all that kind of stuff,” McCaffrey said. “I think there’s going to be some resistance from people because we didn’t feel it was a true representation.”

Gardo said the experience residents gained during the study process could help them spot-check things throughout the year to help bolster decisions.

Recommendations outlined

Study recommendations were outlined in terms of implementation time frame, revenue impact and feasibility.

Among the suggestions that could be implemented quickly and cost little to no money include launching a marketing campaign, updating the borough website and coordinating with third parties such as the Aspinwall Chamber of Commerce to inform people of the borough’s parking policies and enforcement.

“Communication is key to making sure your policies are understood and followed,” Gardo said.

Potential revenue generators included updating metered parking rates and limiting residential permits.

The current operation allows residents to get free and unlimited parking passes. There was discussion about possibly restricting permits to two per household. Potential permit fees were not discussed.

Recommendations that may take between a year to three years to implement included adding more parking at the ball field, adopting a guide for designating and monitoring ADA spaces in residential neighborhoods as well as a guide for restriping and reconfiguring on-street parking.

Other recommendations included extending visitor parking on most streets from one hour to two hours and possibly extending parking enforcement hours. Meter enforcement stops at 5 p.m.

One infrastructure improvement suggestion briefly noted was bike racks along Brilliant Avenue.

Adding racks and possible bike lanes could attract people on the trail in the Allegheny RiverTrail Park to come farther into the borough and patronize local businesses, Gardo said.

A suggestion that’s expected to be implemented sometime in March is the use of mobile license plate readers to help streamline parking enforcement.

After the meeting, Police Chief David Nemec said the department is working to install the devices in police cruisers in the coming weeks.

They will be able to scan license plates and determine whether the vehicle belongs to a resident or a visitor and if that person has a parking permit, among other information.

More resident reaction

Former council president Tim McLaughlin had a front-row seat for the presentation.

“It was very comprehensive and I think it definitely pointed out all the issues and pain points that we have,” McLaughlin said. “I was pleased with what they presented. I was hoping for some more immediate actionable items. Maybe that will come out of further conversation.”

He suggested the borough look at resizing and repainting street spaces.

“If you have a space and go to open your door and there is a tree there, nobody is going to use that space,” McLaughlin said. “If you go down First Street and Second Street and (reposition) some of the lines, I think you could gain two to three spaces.

“Some of these spaces are infinitely too big on First and Second. … We haven’t done anything (to address spaces) in 40 years, or however long. I think these are good recommendations. I’m open and excited to try some; I’ll do my part.”

Rizza said she believes charging residents for parking permits will cause more problems than it solves, especially when it doesn’t guarantee a spot by your house — or even along your block.

“If you charge me for a permit, how’s that going to give me a spot?” Rizza said. “There’s not enough spots. Period.”

Councilman Mark Chimel, who spearheaded the parking study effort, said he looks forward to reviewing the report further and finding ways to implement its recommendations.

“I think there’s a lot of good recommendations in here,” he said. “There are areas that we can address and make the situation better. It’s definitely not an unsolvable problem and there’s definitely things that we can do.”

The presentation will be posted on the borough’s website.

Residents who want to weigh in on the study can contact Chimel at mchimel.aspinwall@gmail.com or email Borough Manager Melissa Lang O’Malley at melissa@boroughofaspinwall.com.