BETHLEHEM, Pa. — If you've ever paid for a parking spot in Bethlehem just to run inside a restaurant to grab your takeout, the city has a deal for you.
New parking spots to come could potentially ease that problem.
This month, Bethlehem Parking Authority will install no-payment 10-minute maximum pickup-delivery spaces in the “dense business areas” of Bethlehem, according to a news release from the authority.
- Bethlehem and the city Parking Authority have worked together to identify areas in need of no-payment, quick-use parking spaces, BPA says
- The new spaces will be popping up this month along with appropriate signage
- One business owner said the new spaces could be a game-changer for customers and store employees alike
BPA Executive Director Steven Fernstrom said the city and the parking authority have worked to identify spaces in need of these parking spots.
“We work together to offer solutions to parking challenges here in Bethlehem. These spaces will help relieve congestion by offering another safe and proper parking option.”Steven Fernstrom, executive director of the Bethlehem Parking Authority
“We work together to offer solutions to parking challenges here in Bethlehem,” Fernstrom said. “These spaces will help relieve congestion by offering another safe and proper parking option.”
'Perfect for customers'
Last year, some of these spaces were implemented in the city's Historic and Southside Arts districts of the city.
Colleen Dorsey, the franchise owner of Bitty and Beau’s Coffee, said the new spaces will make sense for the residents who find themselves needing to visit a store quickly and leave.
“The new short-term pick-up zones are perfect for customers that are quickly picking up a beverage or pastry item, and for some of our team members that rely on others for transportation.”Colleen Dorsey, franchise owner with Bitty and Beau's Coffee
“The new short-term pick-up zones are perfect for customers that are quickly picking up a beverage or pastry item, and for some of our team members that rely on others for transportation,” Dorsey said.
BPA said the new spaces will complement a Smart Loading Zone pilot program, with the goal to “improve short-term parking efficiency, relieve congestion, reduce parking tickets and make the streets safer by applying automated progressive payments and data management in existing loading zones.”
The Smart Loading Zone program is slated to begin in the next few months.
