Philly Parking Street Sign confuses locals – “What’s going on?”

July 9, 2023 by 7 Comments

A Philadelphia street sign recently sparked a heated debate on social media whereby locals questioned what it meant exactly. In fairness, this sign is pretty confusing – especially when you factor in the possibility of getting fined if your estimation is wrong.

As pictured below, the sign reads, “Tow away zone. No stopping at any time – 2 hour parking 8AM-6.30PM” Now according to Philadelphia’s local community of parking experts, this means that you can park in the zone after 4.30PM until 10AM. Apparently, this is because the unregulated window begins before your 2 hour cap ends. Regardless, it’s fair to say that this sign is genuinely confusing, and you can see how some residents may have been caught out over the years.

This also sparked a debate about how the city was ticketing cars – and apparently, this is now done with handheld scanners that the PPA use, as opposed to the previous chalk-tire method. Having said this, if you are caught with chalk, you may be able to fight this ticket on the violation of 4th amendment rights.

To add to the chaos of this sign, it also has two arrows in different directions without explicitly stating where you’re actually allowed to park. In short, you would think in this day and age – this sort of thing would be more efficient. As a result, our advice is that if you feel unconfident or uncomfortable about parking in potential ticketed areas, then it’s probably best to avoid them altogether and be safe rather than sorry.

7 Replies to “Philly Parking Street Sign confuses locals – “What’s going on?””

  1. Debra Suber says:

    Why is ok to double park between Snyder and Oregon ave from 22nd to broad without getting a ticket but get a ticket if you double park on 40th and walnut and also parking on the sidewalk is ok for residents in that area “that not fair “

  2. Carolyn Adams says:

    I think the worst one is when it says no standing. Well nobody is standing if you’re sitting in a car

    1. Anthony Butler says:

      Philly is a tale of two cities when it comes to parking. Certain neighborhoods south Philly in particular can double park,block crosswalks,parking in turning lanes,park in bus zones,block hydrants and park in the center medians for days, weeks and even months and not a ticket. Try this same behavior in many other parts of the city and see what happens.

      1. Jackee says:

        Your so Right..that Area is called Rizzos’ rules. He Dead isn’t he. why does that still Apply..No Tickets in Their Neighborhood. PPA doesn’t even Walk in that Area. Funny huh

  3. Lish says:

    I parked legally and received a ticket for not putting up my handicap placard but I put my handicap placard up and according to the ticket it was not displayed. The only thing logical i can think of is it fell when I closed the door They towed my vehicle and the placard was visible on the floor of my vehicle. I had to pay a $300 fine for the ticket. $100 for the tow and I believe it was about $12-$15 for uber to the tow yard. They would not under any circumstances listed that I had a valid and active placard. It didn’t matter. I was actually there attending a specialist appt at Jefferson. I WILL NEVER GO AGAIN TO THE CITY AGAIN! NEVER!

    1. Big Cletus says:

      The Philadelphia parking authority is a jobs program for friends and relatives of city officials who couldn’t find any other work, and couldn’t even make a buck selling pretzels out of a shopping cart. But give them a blue shirt with a badge, and they will plaster the whole city with parking tickets, resulting in visitors to our city saying, ” I’m never going there again.” Thanks to the PPA, soon there will be nobody left in town but poor people who don’t drive, criminals who never pay tickets anyway, and the lost souls living on Kensington avenue. Let’s remember that parking enforcement is a police function, not to be performed by people whose only qualifications are a ticket book and a suit.

  4. GEORGE says:

    PPA said that a portion of their money goes toward the schools. I don’t see. Nothing given to them or changes. That money went to their pockets and thecity peoe that aupport them
    PPA. Should be regulated and enforced to manage parking not taking people cars and suspend their registration