Higher Parking Rates, Angled Spots Suggested In Haverford Twp. Parking Study

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA — Increasing rates on parking meters, shifting their hours later and adding angled parking spaces to roadways were among the recommendations in a recent parking study of Haverford Township.

The township-commissioned study presented suggestions to improve parking in the dense suburb over the next decade. It was conducted by Walker Consultants.

Haverford Township's meters generally cost 50 cents per hour. Megan Gardo, a Philadelphia-based senior analyst with Walker, said the township should consider rates to $1 an hour in at least three "zones:" Oakmont, Brookline and Manoa. (See maps of each zone starting on page 178 of the Haverford Township Commissioners meeting agenda from Monday.)

Haverford Township's parking rates haven't risen in a decade, while enforcement and maintenance costs continue to rise, the study says.

"It's partially to encourage alternative modes of getting downtown that hopefully encourages even just a small number of people to walk or carpool," Gardo said at Monday's commissioners meeting. " ... It also helps you build a fund that's essentially user-generated. So if you are going to invest in more parking, it's not from residents' taxes. It's the users paying for it."

Gardo also recommended shifting metered-parking hours a bit later — from the current window 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., to the timeframe of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. This would help free up spaces in the busier commercial districts during the evenings, she said.

"Once a longterm parker parks there at 4 o’clock and knows that they won’t get a ticket after a certain period of time," Gardo said, "you’ve now lost that space that could have served two or three, four people in the same period that one person parked there."

Gardo said there aren't many ways to increase the number of parking spots in the township, but some of the space could be better-used.

She suggested replacing curbside parallel parking with angled parking spots to increase spaces on certain roadways, such as Darby Road. But identifying exactly where to do this in the township would require a larger study, Gardo said.

"Without tearing down a building, there aren’t many opportunities to build additional parking except on the street," Gardo said.

Additionally, about 75 percent of parking spaces in Haverford Township are in private lots. Gardo called them a "huge untapped resource" and suggested developing shared parking agreements. Essentially, when a business doesn't need their lot, an agreement would open it up to the public, or to another business's customers or employees.

Other recommendations included clearer signage for public parking and updating portions of the township parking code — some of which go back to the 1970s.

The Board of Commissioners didn't vote on any parking policies during the meeting. The study shows recommendations to be considered, said Board of Commissioners President Judy Trombetta.

"It is worth noting that nothing in this report is legally binding," Trombetta said. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are moving forward with all of the recommendations — though they are excellent."

The full study is available on the meeting agenda.

Click here for footage of the meeting.