Even though Christmas has gone, parking meters in Swissvale are still adorned in holiday red. The red bags locked onto all parking meters in the borough are more than a lingering seasonal decoration. Borough council is taking the meters out of action indefinitely at the behest of local merchants, Swissvale Police Chief Dominic Nuzzo said. Nuzzo said council members voted to remove the parking meters last summer after Swissvale merchants approached them seeking a friendlier shopping environment. Nuzzo said he lobbied to have the meters on Noble Street, Braddock Avenue and Roslyn Street covered, rather than removed, in case the borough would need them later. ‘I suggested that we bag them first, in case after a year if it’s not working, they don’t have to go to the expense of ripping them out and putting them back in,’ Nuzzo said. Gary Scott, who co-owns the Swissvale Music Store on Noble Street, said it does not matter to him if the meters are working. He said the fine for a parking ticket in Swissvale is only $1, and there’s no difference between slugging quarters into a meter or paying a buck at the Swissvale Police Station. Scott, however, applauded any efforts to bring more shoppers to Swissvale’s neighborhoods. ‘Whatever promotes traffic in Swissvale, we’re totally behind that,’ Scott said. Wanda Scott, owner of a women’s clothing store just down the street, said the red-bagged parking meters will make a difference for merchants trying to attract shoppers to Swissvale’s business district. ‘It’s good for business. We were the only place in Swissvale where they charge for parking,’ Scott said. Neighboring Edgewood does not have parking meters and hasn’t had them for at least the 14 years that Councilman Ed Schmidt has lived in the borough. Schmidt said there are no plans to install them, either. However, Edgewood manager John Marquart said the borough is examining a boroughwide parking program. Marquart said Edgewood’s council has directed the planning commission to examine the borough’s parking ordinances. Marquart said he hadn’t seen the commission’s recommendations, but he said they would be brought before the board in the near future. Swissvale Council Vice President Tom Madigan said that if commuters leave their cars in Swissvale and catch a downtown bus, the bags could come off. ‘We haven’t determined a time frame for them,’ Madigan said. Gary Scott said the construction of the East Busway, which will have a stop in Swissvale, could complicate matters. ‘Supposedly we’ll have this busway. In a year or so, you’ll have people parking their cars there all day,’ Scott said. ‘We have to get a game plan for that.’ Nuzzo said Scott could be right, which is one more reason to keep the red bags on the meters instead of taking the meters out. ‘People could turn it into a park and ride,’ Nuzzo said. ‘That could be a problem, and we’re going to have to keep an eye on that.’ Nuzzo said the bags should probably stay on the meters for at least a year. ‘It will take a year to know if it’s working,’ Nuzzo said. Nuzzo said Swissvale never counted on the meters for extra revenue. ‘It’s not so much a revenue issue, it’s a controlling factor,’ Nuzzo said. Daniel Reynolds can be reached at dreynolds@tribweb.com or (412) 380-8533.

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