New Parking Enforcement Slated for Allegheny River Boulevard in Oakmont

Commuters who think a $7 ticket is a bargain compared to the price of parking in Pittsburgh might be in for a surprise in 2012 when new ordinances and equipment to curb the practice are put into place in Oakmont.

Borough officials have been working with the , officials said, to find a solution to the problem of commuters and others parking in spots for patrons of businesses along Allegheny River Boulevard.

Officials think they may have found that solution in the form of hand-held that can scan a license plate and track repeat offenders.

Those who park illegally in the business district will be fined $7 the first two times but $25 on the third offense in a 30-day period.

Council plans to lease the equipment from Washington state-based ParkTrak Inc.

Officials also will change the parking ordinances accordingly and increase the time limit on parking spots in the business district from two to three hours to make it easier for shoppers, according to Councilwoman Laurie Saxon.

She spearheaded a committee that worked with the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce to find a solution to the parking problem, which often includes commuters who aren't phased by the $7 parking tickets the borough hands out.

"They say it's a lot less than going into the city and parking," Saxon said. "We have a lot of bus riders who aren't from Oakmont who ride in, park there and take the bus."

Some business owners, she said, also park in spots to be close to their business and violate the two-hour parking limit of those spaces.

A number of spaces along Allegheny Avenue will be designated with no limit on parking to accommodate business owners.

Parking near busy locations like Oakmont Bakery and Hoffstot's Cafe Monanco will not be made unlimited, she added.

There are no meters in the Oakmont business district. Those who park illegally are given a $7 ticket.

"Right now, Oakmont is very viable in its business district and we want it to remain that way," Saxon said. "I was very happy that our (council) president Tim Favo had really looked at our budget and saw where we could make make a few changes so we could get the ticket reader."

On Tuesday night, at the suggestion of Favo, council members for the electronic parking ticket devices.

Favo stressed the importance of Oakmont's business district.

"It's important for a community like us to maintain it," he said "Those things don't happen by accident."

He described the changes as "user friendly" but said he hopes the heavy fine will change the ways of repeat offenders.

Saxon said ParkTrak will train the borough's police officers on how to use the handheld devices. The borough will cover the costs of supplies like paper.

Officials expect the borough to go through a 30- to 60-day trial period in the spring. After that, if all goes well, the new ordinances could be in place in the summer and the electronic parking ticket equipment will be used regularly.

"We've been working on this quite some time," Favo said. "When you make big changes you're never going to move too quickly. We're still not there yet either."