Reading City Council approved a proposal Monday night to expand on-street parking on N. 8th Street in the City’s commercial core, Grape St. in the Southwest quadrant, and avenues A & B in the Glenside Homes. The changes are expected to add 120 spaces in areas of the city where street parking is extremely dense.
The Reading Parking Authority developed the proposal in response to Mayor Eddie Moran’s request for solutions to the City’s parking crisis. The plan, which required input from civil and traffic engineers, PennDOT, and multiple City departments, has been in development for nearly two years. RPA’s Executive Director Nathan Matz presented it to City Council during its May 8 meeting.
During the May 8 meeting, City Council approved a separate proposal for the addition of 76 spaces on 4th, 6th, and Cherry streets in the commercial core.
The two plans will add a combined 196 on-street parking spaces.
The Reading Parking Authority contracted with Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. to create the proposal. By moving the centerline of each street so that an additional full lane of parking can be safely installed, spaces can be added in the following locations:
N. 8th St. from Walnut to Buttonwood streets (39 spaces). Grape between S. 2nd and S. 3rd streets (14 spaces). Avenues A & B (67 spaces). 4th St. from Franklin to Washington streets (35 spaces). Cherry St. between S. 5th and S. 6th streets (22 spaces). 6th St. from Penn to Washington streets (19 spaces).
Similar changes are under consideration for several other locations in the city.
