Hundreds of parking tickets issued during street sweeping voided

PITTSBURGH — As many as 300 people on the South Side received parking tickets Wednesday morning that they say they don’t deserve.

Channel 11’s Rick Earle reported that the tickets were issued to people who didn’t move their car for street sweeping. The problem is, there hasn’t been street sweeping in the area for about five months because the sweeper was off with an illness.

Residents who received tickets said they were upset they didn’t receive a warning that street sweeping would resume Wednesday.

Councilman Bruce Kraus said he received several calls from upset people who said they didn’t know they had to move their car.

“Street sweeping resumed this morning, but it wasn’t supposed to resume with enforcement,” Kraus said.

Public Parking Authorities executive director Dave Onorato said they were notified Wednesday morning that the sweeper would be out, so they followed normal procedure.

The South Side Chamber of Commerce sent a message to the mayor's office, Kraus, Pittsburgh Public Works Director Rob Kaczorowski and Onorato that said the tickets would be dismissed.

“The Chamber is happy to announce that the Office of Mayor Ravenstahl requested that the Parking Authority dismiss all of the parking citations associated with street sweeping that were issued Wednesday on the South Side,” the email said.  “The Executive Director of the Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh said his office will make the necessary arrangements to dismiss the tickets.”

Kaczorowski said he agrees that there should have been a notice given to residents that sweeping has started again.

Officials said street sweeping will start again Thursday in other parts of the South Side.

The parking authority said it will be putting fliers on cars on the street to let them know it’s starting up again.

WPXI