AuthorPPA Staff

It’s that time of the year when the weather is amazing, the Phillies season is in full throttle, and Philadelphia welcomes back the Wawa Welcome America festival! The weeklong festival is FREE for the public to enjoy great music, free hoagies, and (of course) an elaborate fireworks show. 

What you need to know:

Between hosting the NFL Draft in 2017 and celebrating the Eagles Super Bowl victory in 2018, Philadelphia knows how to host an event. But this party isn’t just the average gathering—it’s a time to celebrate our culture, history, and the birth of our country.

This week-long festival begins June 29 with free multicultural community events celebrating America’s birthday by giving citizens the opportunity to learn about our nation’s history. Several museums, including the American Swedish Historical Museum and the Independence Seaport Museum, are hosting Free Museum Day—view the whole list here.

Star-studded performances:

On July 4, music icon and actress Jennifer Hudson and pop-star Meghan Trainor will perform some of their biggest hits in the heart of Philadelphia, along with the famous Philly Pops Big Band. The show starts at 7 p.m. on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and between the food trucks, live music, and fireworks show, you don’t want to miss it.

Since more than 25,000 people are expected to attend the festival, it’s important to plan ahead, especially when it comes to parking. Luckily, we have you covered with multiple options.

meterUP:

If you plan on parking on the street, our meterUP app is the easiest way to pay for parking in Philadelphia. No change? No problem! Use meterUP to pay with your credit card and enjoy convenient perks like adding or stopping time for your parking session straight from your smartphone. The meterUP app provides customized parking notifications to your phone that give you a heads up when your meter is about to expire. Having the information you need in the palm of your hands not only provides you reassurance on your vehicle, but it also allows you to focus on having fun at the festival. 

If you would rather park your car at our off-street parking facilities, check out our locations and rates below — and don’t forget to take note of road closures and parking restrictions during the festivities. 

Questions? Reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook. 

Parking facilities near Wawa Welcome America:

Family Courthouse Garage:

1503-11 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Rates:

•       Up to a ½ hour: $6.00
•       Up to 1 hour: $13.00
•       Up to 1 ½ hours: $19.00
•       Up to 2 hours: $25.00
•       Up to 12 hours: $27.00
•       Up to 24 hours: $29.00
•       Weekends: $11.00 (flat rate per day)

Philadelphia Gateway Parking Garage

1540 Vine St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Rates:

•       Up to 20 minutes: $3.00
•       Each additional 20 minutes (or portion): $3.00
•       Up to 10 hours: $16.00
•       Over 10 hours: $20.00
•       Evening Rate (enter after 5 p.m., exit by 9 a.m.): $5.00
•       Weekend Rate (flat rate per day): $7.00

19TH & Callowhill Street Lot

1901 Callowhill St.
Philadelphia, PA 19130

Rates:

•       Up to 1 hour: $6.00
•       Up to 2 hours: $11.00
•       Up to 12 hours: $17.00
•       Up to 24 hours: $20.00

Specials:

•       Early Bird (enter before 9 a.m., exit by 6 p.m.) Monday through Friday: $11.00
•       Weekends: $12.00 (flat rate per day)
•       Evening (enter after 5 p.m., exit by 9 a.m.): $9.00

PHOTO CREDIT:

Photo by R. Myers for Visit Philadelphia

 
PHILADELPHIA (June 24, 2019) – A new study released today quantifies for the first time the economic cost of Philadelphia’s growing problem of traffic congestion.

The report, completed by Philadelphia-based Econsult Solutions, Inc., finds that congestion within the Center City street grid alone impacts Philadelphians in the following ways:

• 7 million annual hours lost for bus and car passengers sitting in traffic
• $152 million in annual time value and transportation cost associated with those delays – a $260 annual tax on each Philadelphia household
• $21 million in additional SEPTA bus operating costs associated with maintaining the same level of service at slower speeds
• 15,700 potential jobs and $1.08 billion potential earnings foregone associated with lost productivity – four Comcast Towers worth of unrealized workers
• $58 million foregone in City and School District tax revenue associated with lower productivity and earnings – or $100 per household

The report notes that congestion is a signal of success, with population and job growth increasing demand for travel across the city. Philadelphia has grown by more than 71,000 jobs since 2010, and grew more than 15,000 jobs in 2018 alone. However, if not controlled congestion threatens to short-circuit economic growth by reducing the attractiveness of Philadelphia as a place to live and do business. In effect, traffic puts a ceiling on the city’s growth potential.

The report’s release comes amidst a significant campaign by the City of Philadelphia, in partnership with SEPTA and the Philadelphia Parking Authority, to better manage congestion by strictly enforcing traffic violations in Center City.

“Congestion in Philadelphia is negatively impacting the quality of bus service, which in turn is contributing to ridership loss,” said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel. “Less bus ridership adds even more cars to city streets, further exacerbating the congestion problem. SEPTA is committed to working with the city to breaking this vicious cycle, and this report helps to make clear just how important it is to the future of the city and region that we are successful in this effort.”

As the city has grown, so too has the demand for use of street space. This has created an impetus for thoughtfully managing the public right of way.

“The city has seen an increase in the number of pedestrians, transit riders, bikers, and drivers of all types that share its colonial street grid,” said Michael A. Carroll, City of Philadelphia Deputy Managing Director of the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability. “At the same time, the emergence of ride-sharing and online shopping with delivery has put new kinds of demand on the grid. The resulting congestion impacts the lives of residents throughout the city, costing them valuable time and limiting their ability to reliably access employment and other opportunities.”

“As the agency tasked with regulating Uber, Lyft, and taxis as well as maintaining the flow of traffic in the city’s numerous business districts, the Philadelphia Parking Authority looks forward to working with our transportation partners to alleviate congestion, while also ensuring the safety of taxis and ride-share vehicles for the riding public,” said PPA Executive Director Scott Petri.

Petri added, “It’s troubling that our inspections of Uber and Lyft vehicles since the beginning of the year uncovered a disturbing trend of 32 percent failing inspection.”

To read the full report, please visit: https://econsultsolutions.com/philadelphia-congestion-2019/

PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Jim Kenney today continued progress toward the City’s Vision Zero goal of zero traffic deaths by 2030 by signing legislation to bring speed enforcement cameras along the 12 miles of Roosevelt Boulevard, between 9th Street and the city’s boundary with Bucks County. Cameras will be installed along this High Injury Network corridor by the end of this year.

“Today we are taking an important step to calm speeds on one of the most dangerous roads in our city,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “At the beginning of my administration, I committed to taking action on the Roosevelt Boulevard. Adding automated speed cameras on the Boulevard is one of the most effective steps that we can take towards eliminating traffic deaths.”

“The Philadelphia Parking Authority is a proud partner in Philadelphia’s Vision Zero initiative,” said PPA Executive Director Scott Petri. “With the ultimate goal of eliminating traffic deaths, we’re confident the implementation of Automated Speed Enforcement will greatly assist in curbing dangerous driving behaviors.”

“We know that speed is especially deadly for people walking and biking, and that if we can get motorists to change their behavior and slow down, we can reduce crashes and save lives,” said Councilwoman Cherelle Parker of the 9th District. “Today is a victory for anyone who wishes to travel safely on Roosevelt Boulevard.”

The Philadelphia Parking Authority will administer the speed camera program along Roosevelt Boulevard, similarly to how the PPA administers the red light camera program throughout the city.

Roadside signs will be posted to alert drivers to automated speed enforcement on the Boulevard. Once the program begins, there will be a 60-day warning period before fines are issued. During this warning period, vehicles identified as speeding will be issued a warning without a fine for the violation. After the 60-day warning period, the program will begin issuing fines.

Fines

• $100.00 – 11 to 19 MPH over the posted speed limit
• $125.00 – 20 to 29 MPH over the posted speed limit
• $150.00 – 30+ MPH over the posted speed limit

Up to three violations may be issued to a single motor vehicle within any 30-minute period. Violations do not add points to a driver’s record.

The money collected will be used to cover the program’s costs including equipment, administration, and police officers dedicated to reviewing the violations.

Remaining funds will be used for a transportation safety grants program for things such as intersection safety improvements. The aim of the program is to improve safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries resulting from speeding, not serve as a generator of revenue.

Between 2013 and 2017, there were 2,695 crashes resulting in 139 people being killed or severely injured on Roosevelt Boulevard.

Following the installation of an automated speed enforcement program, New York City reduced speeding at camera locations by 63 percent and fatal crashes by 55 percent (NYCDOT Automated Speed Enforcement Program Report 2014-2017).

Additional Information

• Vision Zero Automated Speed Enforcement Program Flyer
• Roosevelt Boulevard Crash History Map & Flyer

What’s the main goal of meterUP?

Simple: to help you avoid getting parking tickets.

Aside from being able to make parking payments through your iPhone or Android phone, you can also extend your parking session if your meeting is running longer than expected, or if you plan on grabbing dessert after dinner.

Since the main goal is to help you avoid getting parking tickets, we want you to let us know if you’ve gotten a ticket even though you paid through meterUP. But before we delve into getting your ticket cancelled, let’s go over the reasons why the ticket may have been issued in the first place.

Incorrect License Plate:

When it comes to tickets being issued despite making payment through meterUP, the most common reason is an incorrect license plate being entered into your meterUP profile. If your plate number is entered incorrectly into your profile, the vehicle will register as unpaid when our Parking Enforcement Officers (PEOs) check for payment on their handheld devices. So while you’re setting up your profile, double check to make sure your license plate number is entered correctly to avoid a ticket.

Selecting the Wrong Zone Number:

The second most common reason a ticket can be issued is for selecting the incorrect meterUP zone number when paying to park. After parking your vehicle, it’s important to take note of the meterUP zone number displayed on posted signage.

Note: Each street block along with each street side has its own dedicated meterUP zone number that should be referenced when making payment.

Selecting the Wrong Vehicle:

One of the most convenient features of meterUP is being able to have multiple vehicles on your profile. Here’s the thing though: After parking, make sure you’re selecting the correct vehicle in your meterUP profile. If you have the wrong vehicle selected, no payment will be shown for the vehicle you actually parked.

PEO Errors:

From time to time, our PEOs can make mistakes. When it comes to meterUP, here’s some things that may occur when our PEOs are on their patrols:

• PEO incorrectly enters license plate number when confirming if payment is made.
• PEO checks wrong meterUP zone number when confirming if payment is made.
• PEO’s handheld device is experiencing a communication error with payment server.

Getting Your Ticket Cancelled:

Good news: The PPA provides a one-time courtesy cancellation for inadvertent user error when making mobile parking payments. If you’ve gotten a ticket because of one of the above scenarios, we can help get it cancelled as long as you were in an active parking session when the ticket was issued.

Here’s what to do:

Step 1: Take note of your parking ticket number.

Step 2: Provide a copy of your mobile parking receipt by:

Opening the meterUP App and tap “Activity.”

Tap “History” to find the parking session when you were issued the ticket.

After finding the applicable parking session, take a screenshot.

Note: Please make sure your receipt includes the following:

Mobile Parking Zone Number
Date & Time of Transaction
Start & End Time of Transaction
License Plate Number

Step 3: Send the information to: 

• To us on X (formerly twitter) or Facebook
• Our Parking Violations Branch                    

After sending us the information, our team will look into the ticket and they’ll be in touch.

More questions about meterUP? Browse through the FAQs or check out the helpful video below!