South Side's New Public Pick-Up Zone Causing Confusion, Complaints
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A new "No Parking" zone in one of the city's busiest neighborhoods is leading to a lot of confusion and complaints from residents and business owners.
The city has created a public pick-up zone on the South Side between 17th and 18th Streets on East Carson Street.
Between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, only taxis, ride-share companies and private vehicles may pull in temporarily to pick up passengers. The block is off limits to everyone else.
There are yellow paper signs on utility poles stating the enforcement times, but some business owners say that's not enough.
Barry Caprino, owner of East Coast Tanning, told KDKA's Kym Gable, "I think it should have been more proactive on their part [the city] to let us know what's happening instead of seeing it on a pole... without us really knowing."
Jonathan Growall, president of the South Side Chamber of Commerce, said, "From what we understand, it's been put here because it's only daytime businesses on that block, so it won't have an impact that we see. But it needs to provide added service, like valet, and we hope that services can be added. We thought that would maybe happen before it went into effect, but it didn't."
And towing is being enforced. One man who paid a hefty fine did not want to be identified.
"I went to the Rex Theater for an hour and my car was towed away," he said. "They kept it for two days and it cost $178 to get towed."
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Venues like The Smiling Moose rely on street parking for the bands they bring in on the weekends.
Owner Mike Scarlatelli has been pushing for another possible solution.
"A parking garage. It would make the residents happy," he said. "It would cut back on vandalism, cut back on... congestion, public urination and keep people safe."
Scarlatelli said he is happy with the increased police presence lately, part of the "saturation" patrols implemented by Pittsburgh Police.