Politics & Government

Easton Could Target "Lazy" Double Parking

City councilman looks for ways to stop people in Easton from double parking when spaces are open.

There's double parking, and then there's "lazy double parking."

The former we're all well acquainted with: someone pulls up in front of a home or a business, can't find a place to park, and leaves their car in the street for a -- hopefully -- short visit.

The latter is a little more tricky: someone double-parking even though there are parking spaces at the ready.

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It's something Easton City Councilman Jeff Warren hopes to stop.

"It really is becoming a problem in many sectors of the city," Warren told his colleagues at Monday night's council meeting.

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In the past six months, Easton's only given out about seven tickets for double parking, Warren said. Yet he's hearing complaints about it from business owners. 

Warren said many of the complaints have come from the 200 block of Northampton Street.

Helping behind the counter of his son's store the Easton Outdoor Company, Skip Fairchild said he sees a fair share of double parking in that neighborhood. He noted that there's a public lot a few doors away that not everyone seems to use.

"When there's weekend activity, parking is tricky," said Fairchild. "But on a day like today...look outside."

Indeed, there were several open spaces along the block. 

Next month, Warren plans to propose an ordinance similar to one done in Allentown.

Adopted last month, the ordinance increases the fine for double parking when an open space is available. According to the Express-Times, Allentown's initial double parking fine is $100. People who are deemed "lazy" double parkers would pay an additional $100.

But what if someone double parks and claims that a nearby open space wasn't open when they arrived?

"We'll have to talk about that," Warren said. 

The next council committee meeting is scheduled for Oct. 9. Meanwhile, Mayor Sal Panto said he'd like to tackle another front on Easton's parking wars: people using the city's private lots for public parking.


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