PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh City Council’s meeting on Wednesday was long and contentious. In the end, they voted by a lopsided margin to suspend the evening enforcement of parking meters.

It was a reversal of a policy City Council first approved nine months ago, which extended meter hours from 6 p,m. to 10 p.m. in some neighborhoods.

New meter signs that read, “Meter enforcement until 10 p.m.” could soon be a thing of the past.

By an 8-to-1 margin, City Council voted to suspend the enforcement of parking meters after 6 p.m. in the city.

Members of City Council lashed out at the Pittsburgh Public Parking Authority.

“They are harassing people,” Councilman Bill Peduto and chair of the Finance Committee said. “They’re going to churches when people are worshiping and placing tickets there in order to make people angry and blame Council.”

Councilman Patrick Dowd gave the only no vote. He said he didn’t like evening meter enforcement, but City Council’s rollback rewarded the mayor and his Parking Authority.

“What I am opposed to is enabling really bad behavior on the part of this administration and the Parking Authority,” Dowd told his colleagues. “This administration has failed to coordinate parking enforcement, parking signage, and meter pay stations.”

If finally approved, the bill will suspend after 6 p.m. meter enforcement in Downtown, Oakland, Shadyside, the Strip District, North Shore, South Side, and Squirrel Hill until Dec. 31.

Parking Authority Chair Scott Kunka said, since June, 35 percent of meter tickets were written for evening violations.

“The total face value of the tickets was $760,000,” Kunka told KDKA Political Editor Jon Delano. “Now keep in mind, that some people don’t pay the full amount, some people get it adjudicated downward, and some people don’t pay at all.”

Final action by City Council on this measure will be taken next Tuesday. Then the bill must be signed by the mayor before enforcement of these meters after 6 p.m. will be suspended.

If you get a ticket for evening parking before final approval by the mayor, who says he supports the bill, then you will have to pay your ticket.

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