It's Our City is a project that uses TV, Radio and Web
to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.Is the Philadelphia Parking Authority scaring away tourists?
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 5:40 pm - by Alan Tu. Filed under: Community.
I never watched A&E’s hit show Parking Wars until this afternoon. But after reading yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer story about why local tourism officials hate that show, I had to check it out. You can too because all of the episodes can be watched online at A&E’s Parking Wars website.
According to the story, Meryl Levitz, president of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism & Marketing Corp, thinks the reality program that shows the Philadelphia Parking Authority employees ticketing and towing cars is scaring away tourists. She told the Inquirer “This show is an assault on our city.” She’s even complained to Mayor Michael Nutter. Levitz says her organization has been getting a lot of emails and letters from people who say they’ll never come to Philadelphia after watching the show.
There’s nothing Levitz can do to stop the show. In fact, it’s third season is about to begin and the producers are promising more meltdowns.
Here’s an excerpt from the A&E Parking Wars website.
All roads in Philly still lead to the impound lot - the “car prison” where tempers flare as drivers struggle to get their cars back. This season a man becomes so outraged that no one can calm him down.
I think if you watch the show you’ll see that it doesn’t make PPA out to be evil-doers in fact it shows a fairly balanced view of the abuse PPA workers take but also empathize with the many citizens who get caught up in the PPA bureaucracy while trying to get back their impounded car.
It’s a pretty entertaining show but on the question of whether it’s good or bad for Philadelphia tourism it’s hard to decide. Because sometimes, just having TV shows feature your city helps introduce people to your city even if most of them are screaming or about to cry. I kind of like seeing Philadelphia on TV. Half the fun of Parking Wars is seeing all the familiar locations and making mental notes of how PPA officers track down their prey.
A&E has an online video game associated with Parking Wars. You have to park the car legally before the PPA tow-truck finds you
So, I open up the forum to you. Is Parking Wars good or bad for Philadelphia?
June 10th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Alan,
I think you know how I feel about this one. Unlike so much of the commenterati who use stories like this as an excuse to bash the city and proclaim, one again, that they’ll never come into Center City because it’s too expensive to park, I say… keep up the enforcement PPA! If a driver can’t do the time then he or she shouldn’t do the crime. Make sure your meter is filled, don’t park illegally and you won’t get a ticket.
If those $3/hour rates for meter parking are too expensive… don’t pay them. Park somewhere else and take the train into Center City. The folks who are willing to pay those rates will be glad to have more spots to choose from and not have to spend time circling the blocks looking for an open space. The store owners will appreciate that people are more likely to find spaces in front of their stores as well.
And for those of you who want to see what you can get away with… well take a look at Parking Wars and see what’s in store for you.
(PS… at it’s height, this show has only ever attracted a million viewers… such viewership is hardly going to make a statistical dent in tourism. So the philly.com story, based on some anecdotes with absolutely no hard facts or statistical evidence is really just sensationalism at its worst and a cheap ploy for a 200+ comment piece.)
June 11th, 2009 at 9:09 am
I am afraid that the show, the subsequent story, and this post have missed the real story about PPA. PPA is a Republican patronage mill, and before that it was a Democratic patronage mill. The entire agency, and all of its workers, should be fired and rebuilt from scratch using civil service standards from top to bottom. Until that is done, it really doesn’t matter whether PPA workers or policies are “good” or “bad.” The entire agency is tainted by partisan politics, and will be until we start over.
June 11th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Thank you for this thoughtful post, Alan. I think it’s important to note that GPTMC is working with the PPA to publish information about Philadelphia parking for visitors and residents at http://www.gophila.com/parking.
And! Visitors can avoid the parking issue entirely by booking a Philly Overnight Hotel Package with free hotel parking! (Sorry, had to slip that little sales pitch in there. But it’s appropriate.)
June 13th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I’ll ditto George above. Philadelphians who are concerned about what’s good for Philly, would do better to focus less on an A&E show and more on what’s actually happening on the public (and the schools’) dime at the PPA.
June 20th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Just to let you know they got me on a bogus ticket. I laughed at a PA ticket pouncer as I was at a red light and he mouthed off to me. As I was driving away I told him to “Have a Day” leaving out the word nice. This was at 16th and Walnut.
Two weeks later I had a Ticket in the mail. The Lackey just copied my License plate into his ticketing system and wrote me for being illgally parked at the 1700 block.
Tried to challenge it at a hearing and they ruled against me. I walked out refusing to pay. Now they want to come to Jersey and sieze my car.
Good luck jerko’s.
BTW, I used to hold a weekend meeting at the Marriott twice a year for my company but we will now patronize the Shore and New York. Nice going Philly.
Who’s gonna hurt in the long run?
August 1st, 2009 at 4:02 pm
http://www.phillyparkingrevolt.com
Talk about it there.
August 10th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I live in center city and get tickets when I am parked legally (I have a permit). I get tickets in areas I never park in. I am constantly told it’s an “accident”. One time I got 5 tickets, in one week, from the same ticketing officer. Other times I have gotten tickets in the mail (that’s because my car was never parked where they claimed it was). The PPA is a business that is in the right and you are in the wrong. Oh and they are corrupt.
August 10th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
@Al. If what you say is true, this is outrageous behavior on the part of PPA. They don’t show this on TV. I’d send a little note to your local state rep to complain. Nothing will change unless you create a campaign saying you’ve had enough of these random tickets.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Caroline,
I am very intrigued by the fact that you get free parking if you stay at hotel. The only problem is, I have no reason to stay at a hotel.
I live approximately 45 minutes from my work which is located at 30th and Market. I start work at 5:00 A.M. to take the train to work, because Septa’s first train arrives around 6:30 A.M.. I have a parking space at work, which I can only use during the hours that I am working. What is your suggestion, drive home and take the train in? Spend $12-$15 on a parking lot? No thank you. I will simply drive home and utilize the activities in the Counties.
Until Philadelphia realizes the difficulty it takes to come into the city, the city mine as well forget about those advertisements posted on the bus stops, i.e. “Dear Burbs, Your lawnmower gave you the weekend off. Come Play.” I will tell you one thing, I will come play. I will play where I can afford to park. This suburbanite likes Philadelphia, but does not need Philadelphia. I would shop in the city if it added the 8% sales tax. I will not with the parking situation.
September 25th, 2009 at 12:50 am
So I have been spending the last hour trying to figure out if I should pay a ticket to this lame company. I can tell you … I will never visit this city again because of this city trash. I am out of state and wanted to come see the bell, I parked in what looked like a ok spot got a meter and paid it. went to look at the bell. came back to find that I had a 300 fine for a handicap spot. Ok fine, I have no idea that handicap park on street they dont do that in my city. no excuse but sorry. when i tried to contest they wouldn’t let me, to make it better. I went back to look at the spot and conveniently the part that said Handicap was in the leaves of the tree. I took a picture and went back. more fines. f this city and f this parking company. I will never come back ever. ever. f u city.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
I love the Show… but after seeing it…there is NO way I will be visiting Philly. I will take my vacation and business dollars else where… most cities go out of their way to welcome tourist, and rental cars philly prays upon them…. and seems to take great pride in seeing how many times they can make a person come back to the car lot before they can retrive their cars..just to get a few more dollars for storage
October 7th, 2009 at 2:15 am
I love the show but would never visit the city, it is a bureaucratic money machine. I only know of one city that will fine the UPS driver and any other delivery driver they get a chance to fine.
Not to mention the run around they give people. Philadelphia should be embarrassed and worried about tourism. Besides that the city looks ran down and dirty.
The streets are all tore up with all the money the city makes off the corruption you would think they would spend some of it maintaining the roads. Your city looks tore up and trashy at best!
But hey thanks for the great show it is entertaining and makes me appreciate where i live even more. After 6 pm you don’t have to feed the meter you can park for free.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Alan and Jim -
I’m sorry to hear the TV show makes you think twice about visiting our vibrant, historical, cultural city.
The good thing about visiting Philadelphia is that it’s so walkable — you don’t need to drive! And we have the Philly Overnight Hotel Package with its free hotel parking.
Last, if you really feel the need to drive, you can get tips and information here:
http://www.gophila.com/parking
http://www.gophila.com/parkingdeals
We do hope you’ll reconsider and come see us!
-From Caroline in the Philadelphia Tourism office
October 10th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
listen people. this show isnt causing people not to come to philly. i mean jesus how dumb can u be if u would re consiter comming to a city becuase your scared of what might happen if you park on the wrong side of the street. people arent comming to philly cus its going broke and has an extremely high crime rate. also in the mind of a tourist…why go to philly if u can go to ny. c’mon really.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Let me add my name to the list of people who will not return to Philadelphia after being towed. I have no problem accepting responsibility for my parking mistake. I do, however, have a problem with confusing parking signs that have similar appearance yet totally different messages that are placed only feet apart.
Something as simple as pavement markings that indicates which spaces follow a different parking procedure would be a huge improvement. When I returned, I thought my car had been stolen. I read 2 different signs placed just feet apart that obviously had 2 completely different messages.
But, you know, Philadelphia, the $150 towing fee did not come out of my pocket. It came out of the pockets of your hotel, your restaurants, and your attractions. Because, I left your city after I retrieved my car, canceling my $200 hotel room, skipping my $100 dinner, and avoiding the expenses of paying at your attractions. I guess you could say that I actually made money off of your eagerness to take my car. I can assure you - it will not happen again.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:49 am
@Paul - I don’t want to sound like a broken record in these comments but please note we have tried to address situations like yours with the information on our parking deals page: http://www.gophila.com/parkingdeals. I hope you can find something there to help you take advantage of all this city has to offer.
@Gary - Please stay tuned. Since all cities have different signage for parking, we are soon to release some videos which might help people read our parking signs more easily.
October 16th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
On Monday I walked into Starbucks on Third to get quarters. In the time that I got back to my car I had a ticket.
I kid you not. I broke down in tears on the street. (This is NOT my first ticket…)
There are times when I truly believe the PPA no longer cares how extreme its actions are. No matter how many residents are pushed out of the city, or how many tourists are kept away, it’s worth it if they can earn another $32. It’s absolute economic madness.
October 17th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Gary, couldn’t agree with you more-I WILL NEVER SPEND MONEY IN PHILADELPHIA AGAIN.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
I worked in Philadelphia downtown only for 3 weeks and most of the parking meter hours are from 8 AM to 8 PM. I saw the parking inspectors giving tickets right before 8 PM.
I did get a ticket and when I went to pay my ticket on their website, it said I was issued another ticket a couple of days back and the worst part of it is there was never a ticket placed on my car that day. Seems like most people like me do pay the “Unofficial” tickets also, just to avoid the hassle later on in future. I would never go back to Philly downtown
October 24th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Caroline,
I think your missing the point with Gary and the others. As a resident of the city I see the PPA in all of their glory. The PPA is out of control and only exists for their own good. They do nothing to improve the quality of life in the city. In fact, it is quite the opposite. They cost the city not only in the short time but also in the long run because the citys’ image takes yet another hit.
October 26th, 2009 at 2:36 am
Yes, I’m sure it’s scaring away tourists, or at least day trippers that might want to visit historical sites, museums or enjoy the Arts. I’ve lived in Philadelphia for the better part of 25 years now. Scaring away tourists is certainly a valid concern when confronting the rabid excesses of the PPA, however, having had my South Philadelphia neighborhood recently taken over by these thinly veiled hoodlums, I am going to leave a city that I dearly love. Apparently the current administration feels that the pittance that they receive from one of, if not the most reputedly corrupt organizations in the US is worth driving away tourists, commerce, and residents. It’s too sad to dwell on, but I will miss everything about this town other than the pure greed and pandering that the PPA represents. I had such high hopes for Mayor Nutter and supported him diligently. If the PPA is the way to economic recovery then why not just let them run the city… well actually they kind of are, and that speaks volumes about the integrity of anyone in City Hall.
Sad farewell,
Dan
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
F@&”$ PPA! Hate my city for this crap! I’ll just go around hating everyone b/c PPA hates me ,
November 4th, 2009 at 12:07 am
I’m from Toronto Canada and the show certainly has affected our desire to visit the city. In reality we would probably not drive to Phillidelphia but it makes us wonder what else we would encounter in your there. I hope I’m not offending any citizens… only thought I would share that the show does not paint your city in a flattering light.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
We are going to NY to visit family in December and WILL NOT be stopping in Philly for anything. When someone makes a minor mistake parking and then has to pay that much just to get their car back its not worth taking any chances. You can keep your city and money hungry PPA workers.
November 7th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I disagree with those that claim the show’s impact won’t significantly affect tourism. In the absence of any other information, a national broadcast will carry the message — and the message here is one to make the visitor wary. (Sorry, if there’s a “Visit Philly” campaign, no one outside of the city has heard about it)
On the national front, Philadelphia should be having a terrific years, from sports coverage if nothing else. Yet even announcers (ESPN) have commented on the dangers of parking. That isn’t a mixed message, it is a stay-away message (or, at best, visit-at-your-own-risk.)
Philadelphia: A city known to the history books but one with a black mark against visiting today. That can be traced to the this show, the PPA and the reputation that needs to be addressed/corrected. City coffers will suffer a long-term (tax) loss against a short-term (parking fee) gain.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
I don`t understand how anyone could possibly think this show would deter tourists. If anything it will pique people`s interest in seeing all the sites showcased. I am Canadian and have visited many US cities and the show has been added to my interest list. I watch Parking Wars all the time and I love, it could be taking part in any big city anywhere. I have seen streets that I would like to visit and it showcases restaurants and what they serve, how can that be bad. I want to come to Philly and have one of those cheese steak sandwiches I saw today. The whole Spanish quarter looks so interesting, if anything this show would attract curious tourists.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
I lived in Philadelphia for 30 years, and I enjoy watching PARKING WARS. It’s very educational! LESSON ONE: READ THE SIGNS CAREFULLY. If it says “TOW-AWAY ZONE”, do not take a chance.
LESSON TWO: PAY YOUR TICKETS PROMPTLY. It’s never going to get cheaper!
I would much rather have learned from this show than the way I did, from experience. Getting towed one night (BEFORE cell phones or the Internet) made me a rigorous reader of signs. My parking expertise developed in Philadelphia has also been helpful to me in other cities. I don’t think Philadelphia is any worse than any other big congested Eastern city about parking — they are just the only ones with a television show. You try parking in downtown DC or NY and you will see what I mean.
PPA employees did not write these laws; they are just stuck with enforcing them. I really think Pennsylvanians ought to write to their legislature about that registration/insurance rule. If you let your car insurance lapse and then re-instate it, your registration is automatically suspended for 90 days. That seems really unfair and has been the final obstacle for many a person trying to get their car from the impound lot.
November 10th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Because of the ppa I visit Philly as little as possible. If it were not for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chamber Music Society concerts and the excellent concerts at Curtis I would probably not come into Philly at all. Mostly because of the PPA and their rude arrogant employees. When I first moved to the area I approached a PPA employee to ask a question and she just kept on walking without speaking or answering my question. PPA employees are rude arrogant scum!
November 10th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
I feel bad for the citizens they are overcharged, and giving the run around. Just so the goverment can take more money from them.I will never come near there. My family and, friends have also stated they will not go near there. I will pray for the citizens REMEMBER TO VOTE AND GET THE CREEPS OUT.