Draft Ordinances Would Increase Narberth Parking Meter Rate

Narberth Borough Council gave solicitor Marc Jonas the official green light Monday night to draft a pair of ordinances that would change metered parking in Narberth by reducing the amount of time one’s money buys.

The first ordinance to be drafted changes the current standard in Narberth of $0.25 for sixty minutes of metered parking to $0.25 for thirty minutes.

The second ordinance to be drafted includes the change to  $0.25 for thirty minutes, yet also changes the enforcement hours of the parking meters from Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. to seven days a week from 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.  

Increasing the cost of metered parking is a move that Council Vice President Aaron Muderick said would bring Narberth in line with what surrounding areas charge for parking, though he added that the increase is not a cure-all for the big picture of parking in the borough.

“I think this is a short term measure while we spend a lot of time deliberating and considering a long-term parking solution analysis in the borough, and so this should not be considered as some kind of extensive analysis  - just something to move us in the right direction,” Muderick said.

It was noted that the draft ordinances would make no change to the list of meter-exempt holidays of New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The idea behind extending the meter hours to 7 p.m. is that the change would increase the parking turnover downtown during the evening, thereby encouraging Narberth business owners to stay open later at the prospect of seeing more customer traffic.

Council President Sam Quinn encouraged members of the public and the business community to get involved in the dialogue so that their feedback can be incorporated into whatever ordinance council ultimately designs and adopts.