Staff Blog
Nutter does to the press what he should probably do to the whole city
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Members of the local media got an email yesterday informing us that press parking — those sweet, sweet spots in prime locations throughout the city that, if you had a press pass on your car, you could use at any time, while no one else could — are soon to be no more. Says the e-mail:
“Press only” parking zones will be removed from locations throughout the city, therefore, freeing up valuable parking for residents and businesses. The only “press only” zones that will remain are: along the West side of City Hall (corner to the crosswalk) [and] on Ben Franklin Parkway between 16th and 17th in front of broadcast TV studios based and operating in Center City (Fox 29 and Channel 3)
This is not to say that press parking, as an institution, is going away. There will still be press placards that will allow members of the media to park in any metered spot in the city. And that's pretty sweet! But the passes will be harder to come by, and possibly only for use by reporters who are actually working:
the policy is designed to be more restrictive in the issuance of press credentials and parking credentials in an effort to reduce significantly the abuse of parking privileges. ... More detailed information will be requested in order to ensure that only those reporters who cover City Hall and City Government on a regular basis receive this enhanced access and these parking privileges.
I'll be curious to see how other media organizations respond to this. From my perspective, it's totally justified. The way the system is set up now, basically anyone who can claim to report on city government, at any time, for a media organization gets free parking over by the Constitution Center, near 4th and South, in numerous places in Center City (outside the Weekly, outside the Tribune), and, ahem, in Old City outside City Paper. At any time of day. I don't know that this causes any huge problems, and I suspect the city gains revenue because of the spots (people are constantly getting towed from the ones outside our office). But it's a solution that's hugely disproportionate to the problem (reporters sometimes need to get to and from municipal buildings quickly). It's just not a reasonable privilege for the city to bestow.
Now, as someone who's about to lose a parking spot on the occasional days I drive, it's tempting (so tempting!) to bellyache about the injustice of the mayor declining to take on City Council over its prime parking spots, not to mention its free city cars. And, you know, Nutter should do those things. But the fact that Nutter should make more of these tough-but-smart reforms elsewhere doesn't change the fact that this particular one makes sense. Good on Nutter. Goddamit.
Does this mean I can’t park in City Paper’s spots when I pick up my Chinese food at the Noodle house?