Ambridge Police will begin ticketing vehicles parked at expired meters on Merchant Street — starting on Monday, April 14.
Ambridge Police Chief James Mann said officers will be spending more time on foot in the business district now that the weather is warming up.
Ambridge Police Chief James Mann said officers will be spending more time on foot in the business district now that the weather is warming up.
"If we have the manpower, we're going to start walking the beat and tagging cars," Mann said.
Mann said police are enforcing the parking meters to deter drivers from leaving vehicles on the street for prolonged periods of time.
"What happens is people catch buses and they just leave their cars parked there all day, which is bad for the businesses," he said. "People who want to buy in the stores don't have a place to park."
"Those parking places are for businesses and customers to shop in our stores," Mann said.
Joyce Carte, who helps out at Ringel's Ceramics, said she constantly feeds the parking meter while working, but has seen others park days at a time in front of businesses without paying.
Some merchants worry that parking tickets could scare off customers.
Stangl's Bakery owner Lorianne Burgess said she doesn't think the town needs fewer reasons to shop.
"I think the whole town should be two-hour parking," Burgess said, pointing out that some businesses, such as barbers and salons, can take more than one hour. "If they go over two hours, then ticket them."
Mann said the department likes to warn the public before cracking down. Police recently put out about 2,500 warning notices on vehicles prior to the start of street sweeping, he said.
"Guys on night turn went out and every windshield on all the streets got a warning notice about the street sweeper," Mann said. "People couldn't say 'hey, I didn't know.' We're giving them a heads up."
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Mann said police are enforcing the parking meters to deter drivers from leaving vehicles on the street for prolonged periods of time.
"What happens is people catch buses and they just leave their cars parked there all day, which is bad for the businesses," he said. "People who want to buy in the stores don't have a place to park."
"Those parking places are for businesses and customers to shop in our stores," Mann said.
Joyce Carte, who helps out at Ringel's Ceramics, said she constantly feeds the parking meter while working, but has seen others park days at a time in front of businesses without paying.
Some merchants worry that parking tickets could scare off customers.
Stangl's Bakery owner Lorianne Burgess said she doesn't think the town needs fewer reasons to shop.
"I think the whole town should be two-hour parking," Burgess said, pointing out that some businesses, such as barbers and salons, can take more than one hour. "If they go over two hours, then ticket them."
Mann said the department likes to warn the public before cracking down. Police recently put out about 2,500 warning notices on vehicles prior to the start of street sweeping, he said.
"Guys on night turn went out and every windshield on all the streets got a warning notice about the street sweeper," Mann said. "People couldn't say 'hey, I didn't know.' We're giving them a heads up."
Are you concerned about parking tickets? Tell us in the comments section below.
Like Ambridge Connection on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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