PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh City Council is moving to strengthen enforcement against vehicles parked on sidewalks and in bike lanes by removing language from city code that has allowed some drivers to avoid citations.
According to Councilperson Bobby Wilson, city code has long allowed drivers to park in areas like sidewalks and bike lanes “for the sake of a vehicle’s safety.” However, Wilson says that line of reasoning has been abused when parking tickets have been challenged in court.
By removing the language, he said the city hopes to give police and parking enforcement officers clearer authority to issue citations.
Advocacy groups, including Bike Pittsburgh and South Side Smart Streets, welcomed the change, saying they have long pushed for stronger enforcement against sidewalk parking.
“We’re really excited that the city is taking it seriously,” said Thomas Wagner, of South Side Smart Streets. “What the real problem is people who have wheelchairs or people using mobility aids — the road’s blocked off, it’s extremely dangerous. It’s tough for pedestrians when people are driving, having to walk through cars, jumping around garbage cans and people parked on the sidewalk. It’s difficult.”
Parking partially on sidewalks is common on some of Pittsburgh’s narrow streets, where residents say they’re trying to protect their vehicles from passing traffic.
“My car got clipped and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna start parking on the sidewalk,’” South Side Slopes resident Corey Reaver said.
Wagner said the advocacy group understands those concerns and wants to work with residents on solutions that improve safety for everyone.
“We want to be cooperative; we want to work with folks. We want everybody to have a safe place to park,” Wagner said. “We want people to be able to walk and use the roads all move safely and carefully.”
According to the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, parking on the sidewalk is a $45 fine.
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