I just received a parking ticket in Manayunk. I ran into a Starbucks to grab a cup of coffee and within a period of approximately 40 seconds, an agent was writing a ticket. I simply didn't see the guy and the rest is history. I now owe the City of Philadelphia twenty-six dollars. The agent told me I could go get my coffee and not worry about an additional ticket. I won't tell you the answer I gave him.
If you have a car in Philadelphia, you get tickets, so it is what it is. I returned to Starbucks and the kid who served me the coffee said something that was very interesting. He lives in Manayunk and he knows something about the Parking Authority. "They drove the retailers away, and they drove the restaurants away, and I'm guessing you won't be back anytime soon". The kid was right, because that was precisely what I was thinking.
There is nothing more profitable for the City of Philadelphia than placing $26 tickets on automobiles. You find people who can write (it's not even necessary that they know how to read). When the flag pops up, they write a ticket. It's a license to steal. The City literally mints money, and more importantly, drives unknowing visitors away. I would suggest that the actions of the Parking Authority (and parking in general) is the number one reason that so many people who live in the suburbs avoid dining in Philadelphia (and Manayunk is in Philadelphia).
I recently spent a considerable amount of time in Downtown Tampa, and while the Parking Authority there hasn't reached the level where they have their own television show, they have basically ruined the downtown restaurant community. I lived it and I watched it (and I even ended up in traffic court). The restaurant owners are livid about it and it is literally putting them out of business. The agents drive around in small white cars and when you pull up to a parking space, they will sit there and wait for you to put the quarters in the meter. It's a "Welcome to Tampa, and we are here to make your visit as painful as possible."
Philadelphia is worse - I once visited a restaurant and parked on what appeared to be a legal space on Samson Street. Upon returning, there were actually two tickets on my car. One just wasn't enough. You can enjoy a great restaurant experience in Philadelphia, but if there is a ticket on your car, the "great experience" instantaneously turns into a mini-nightmare.
The most profitable area continues to be on Walnut Street where cars are towed away on a daily basis. The signs are confusing (especially to a visitor) and if you stay a few minutes after 3:30 (in the afternoon) they will take away your birthday (along with your car).
Manayunk was once a thriving restaurant community and something happened to make it unthriving (if there is such a word). I honestly believe that kid at Starbucks knows more than the City of Philadelphia wants us to think about. "Welcome to Philadelphia!"
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