During their monthly meeting on Monday, November 6, the Borough of Bath Council addressed future parking plans for the borough. Since last month’s meeting, the council’s Community Development Committee has been exploring options for parking on Old Forge Drive and in the borough’s business district.
Councilwoman Carol Bear-Heckman, head of the committee, outlined the committee’s proposed plans for “treating all parking areas in Bath fairly and equally,” in addition to “maximizing parking.”
One of the committee’s proposed methods for parking regulation is hang tags, which are already used in both Bethlehem and Nazareth.
Parking hang tags, explains Heckman, provide “maximum, flexible space usage” without the need for signs or meters. These hang tags can be renewed every year.
Heckman proposed four types of hang tags. The first would be blue tags for the 41 new diagonal spaces on Old Forge Drive. They could be provided at a $40 fee, with a maximum limit of two. If a car is parked in one of these spaces without a tag, it will be towed. Street parking would remain open.
The second type of hang tag would be green tags for business owners to purchase so that they can park on the street in front of their businesses without worrying about two hour limits.
The third and fourth types of parking tags would be a yellow night and day pass and an orange day pass for the municipal lot.
The committee also made other suggestions, such as painting lines for parking throughout the entire borough, and eliminating numbered spaces, which Heckman says actually discourage parking.
All of the ideas Heckman and the committee presented are recommendations council will work with when moving forward with parking enforcement ordinances. Council welcomes public feedback.
“I think we are definitely on the right track,” Council President Mark Saginario said of the recommendations.
To continue discussion on both parking and traffic in the borough, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission will give a final presentation on its Traffic, Pedestrian, and Safety Study at the next council meeting on December 4 at 7 p.m.
Other news in Bath:
- The Bath Christmas Tree Lighting will take place on Saturday, November 25 at 6 p.m. at Monocacy Creek Park. There will be horse and carriage rides, snacks, and some very special guests.
- Council praised the Bath Volunteer Fire Department for their work during trick-or-treat and for last month’s successful open house.
“The whole building down there looks wonderful,” Councilwoman Phyllis Andrews said of the renovated fire station.
- Councilman Michael Reph gave a short presentation on the expected traffic increase the borough may see due to the multiple warehouses being built in both East Allen and Allen Townships. There could be at least 200 to 300 trucks per day travelling through the borough.
“We are going to get hit hard,” Reph said.
