Pittsburgh’s much-discussed “purple parking spots” are here to stay.
City Council gave final approval on Monday to continue the city’s smart loading zone program indefinitely. The program created special loading-zone parking spots intended for short-term pickups as well as loading and unloading, with a different pricing structure than regular parking spaces.
A pilot of the program began in 2022, and there are currently 55 purple-marked spots around the city. Most are located at curbs where regular, unpaid loading zones previously existed. The spots use cameras from Los Angeles-based tech startup Automotus that automatically record drivers’ license plates and send bills or tickets in the mail.
The program’s goal has been to incentivize parking turnover and create easy access to curb space for delivery drivers. Initially, the program was funded through grant money, some of which came from the federal Department of Energy. It will now be funded through an agreement between the city and the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, under which the program’s incoming revenue will fund its continued operation.
What's been the progress so far?
Rylan Seifert, curbside program manager with the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, said the program has proved successful.
“This has been a great pilot for us,” he said, adding that officials had been “taking to heart the feedback that we've gotten from the businesses, adjusting things as they go.
“This is a program that we're really proud of, and now [it’s] kind of in a good policy place to make [it] be permanent,” he added. “We're excited to see how it continues to grow.”
Drivers can park for 15 minutes for free in a purple spot. Any longer than that, and their vehicle must be registered online to pay fees for the additional time. If a driver’s vehicle isn’t registered, they may receive a $40 ticket, the same as for unpaid parking in a regular parking spot. Registered drivers are limited to parking one hour in the same spot — a timeframe reduced from the two-hour limit used during the pilot period.
According to Seifert, between 75% and 85% of people parking in purple spaces stay for less than 15 minutes. An additional 10% of motorists park for over 15 minutes, and pay through the automated program. Approximately 10% are people who haven’t registered online and who receive a ticket.
Tickets may also be issued if someone parks for longer than the maximum, or obstructs the road by “double parking” in the roadway near the spot. Seifert said the program has so far reduced double parking by 95% near the purple spots.
Councilor Barb Warwick is no stranger to the sort of risky road behavior the program is intended to combat. Double parking, she said, can be particularly dangerous, as it clogs up traffic and presents a hassle for other people trying to get through.
“People were parking using the loading zones as regular parking spots. And we don't necessarily have the capacity to enforce and ticket those cars all day, all the time,” she said. “So the result was that the businesses that needed those spots in order for large deliveries, or people just running in to pick up food, or delivery drivers coming to pick up orders did not have access to those spots."
The reduction in double parking improves traffic safety too, she added.
“Having big delivery trucks stop in the middle of Murray Avenue or Forbes Avenue or somewhere downtown so that they can do their deliveries is unsafe,” she said. “It also clogs up traffic. So these loading zones have been very successful in mitigating that.”
Future of the program
Not everyone has been a fan of the purple parking spots. While some businesses have asked for the spots, some other local businesses have complained that they make entering or loading at their building more difficult. Others have asked for better communication around the spots’ installation.
Seifert says DOMI has met with business owners near the spots, and held community meetings about the program. The change to a 15-minute grace period starting earlier this year was a result of feedback from these interactions.
Before a purple parking spot is installed, he said, the city talks with the business owners nearby, and will “take it to heart” if a business says it doesn’t want a spot there.
“We've been listening to the feedback that we've been getting from the businesses and we’re happy to have those conversations as the program goes on,” he said.
The city plans to examine potentially removing some of the spots based on “performance indicators,” Seifert said. The program may also add more spots as the city receives requests from businesses.
More education also may be needed to make sure Pittsburghers know how the program works, Seifert said.
“I think we need to get people used to the idea that if they are just dropping off some dry cleaning or if they’re just picking up some dinner, that's also a loading activity,” he said. “And if they're doing that quickly and they're in and out in 15 minutes, that's a proper use of that curb space. What we don't want to see is people using that as a free parking space and parking there for eight hours.”
The program has also given the city a dry-run for its upcoming automated red light enforcement program, which will also use license plate reading technology and mail billing.
“We were able to use this program to kind of test out working out ticket-by-mail, work through some of the technological kinks in those things, before we scale up,” Seifert said.
