Ensuring sufficient parking space access, and better manage congestion for residents in the neighborhoods, visitors and thriving community of local businesses in Lancaster City is a constant balancing act and at times a contentious item. To learn more about parking in Lancaster I spoke to Larry Cohen, Executive Director of Lancaster’s Parking Authority (LPA).
LPA’s mission is to support the livability, growth, and development of the City for the benefit of residents, businesses, and visitors. LPA manages the enforcement of the City of Lancaster parking ordinances and the administration of Residential Parking Permits (RPP) based on the rules and regulations set by the City of Lancaster, PA. This includes issuing fines for parking violations.
However, there are also many misconceptions about parking according to Cohen. “We do more than enforcement and issuing tickets. Keeping the City accessible with sufficient parking, whether it is through street parking or garage parking, is key for the economic development of Lancaster City which has a vibrant downtown.”
“As Parking Authority we are not always liked, but we do provide an important service to the community. For example, we are also stimulating more active transportation by making bike share stations available, and providing space to display public arts at our garage locations. We also own our garage properties and real estate, such as the Christian Street Garage which is linked to the Lancaster Public Library. We aim to be good stewards of our community and are making a vital positive contribution to Lancaster.”
Street Cleaning
LPA is also involved in supporting the City’s street cleaning program which occurs either weekly or bi-weekly, depending on the route and part of the City. LPA parking enforcement officers follow the street sweeper and ticket any vehicles in the way of the street sweeper. “Although it is never fun for enforcement officers to issue a ticket, street cleaning is needed as it removes dirt and debris from the City streets to provide a healthy, safe, and attractive environment for all street users”, Cohen said. “Furthermore, there are State and Federal requirements that mandate street sweeping to protect water quality, prevents drains from clogging and potentially flooding.”
Here are some facts about street cleaning (source: Lancaster City):
- Removing approximately 1.2 million pounds of trash and litter annually that would otherwise end up in local streams and add more burden on the sewer system.
- The street cleaning program sweeps over 240 lane miles of streets within the City of Lancaster.
Residents and visitors are advised to pay attention to street cleaning signage when you are parking and move your car when necessary. View the street cleaning schedule in your area of Lancaster City.
Residential Permit Parking
In the neighborhoods, the Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program ensures that residents have access to street parking near their home. As vehicle ownership per household has grown over the years, the current RPP program is not perfect to always address residential parking needs and is in need of revision.
City data shows that the Total Number of Vehicles Available to City Households has grown, from 25,670 in 2010 to 29,409 in 2023. Similarly, the Average Vehicles Available per City Household has shown an increase from 1.2 in 2010 to 1.4 vehicles in 2023. However, the number of available on-street spaces remained constant, leading to scarcity of parking lot spaces in certain RPP blocks.
Acknowledging this trend and current RPP program imperfections, the RRP program was studied by consultants and public feedback was sought from residents in 2024. As a result, RRP pilots will start in the South East and North West neighborhoods of the City in 2025.
Please visit the City of Lancaster’s Engage Lancaster RPP project page to receive the latest updates and join the conversation to provide feedback regarding RRP updates and upcoming pilots in the City.
More need for active transportation to reduce vehicles per household and parking needs in the City
To conclude, in order to manage the future needs and reduce the pressure for parking in Lancaster City, considering and stimulating more active transportation such as walking, (e-)biking, or public transit will be crucial. This is needed as Lancaster City develops further and aims to manage its traffic congestion and parking scarcity in a healthy way.
Resources
- FAQs about Parking Enforcement
- City of Lancaster Street Cleaning Schedule
- Parking, Street Cleaning, and Snow Removal in Lancaster City
- 2024 Permit Parking Study and Related Pilot Programs
Bryant Heng is a Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow studying how Lancaster City can make transportation better. Learn more here.
