Legislation before Pittsburgh City Council would increase rates and hours of metered parking in Lawrenceville and reinvest the money made into mobility improvements in the community.

The measure would create what officials call a mobility enhancement district in Lawrenceville. It would allow the city to charge more for parking spots during peak hours in the busy neighborhood, and metered parking could continue into nighttime hours.

The money made would then be reinvested into projects including traffic calming projects, bus shelters, bike infrastructure and sidewalk repairs, according to Lawrenceville Corporation.

Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, who sponsored the legislation, said the proposal comes as Lawrenceville has seen an increase of cars and visitors to the community, which has “decreased safety” for pedestrians and cyclists.

“This is an opportunity to use that influx of visitors and Lawrenceville becoming more of a destination neighborhood to invest in increasing safety for visitors, but also for residents,” she said during a public hearing Wednesday.

“Despite Lawrenceville’s vibrancy and walkability, our public infrastructure around mobility safety and accessibility is sorely lacking,” said David Breingan, executive director of Lawrenceville United.

One out of 20 Lawrenceville residents has a physical disability and one of five households lacks access to a vehicle, an issue that’s particularly common in older or poorer households, he said. He cited statistics from 2006 through 2020 that indicated the neighborhood saw 147 crashes involving pedestrians during that span, resulting in at least six pedestrian deaths.

“The mobility enhancement district would offer a new, locally controlled revenue source for Lawrenceville to invest in our public spaces to make it safer, more accessible and more pedestrian, bike and transit friendly, more people friendly,” Breingan said.

The measure also could help address parking demand by encouraging turnover with a pricing system that would make people pay more to park at busy times, Breingan said.

“For many years, Lawrenceville has been striving to meet the goals of improving our public infrastructure and managing parking demand more effectively,” said Sarah Trbovic, executive director of Lawrenceville Corporation.

The proposal on the table now, she said, “does just that.”

City Council could further discuss the bill and take a preliminary vote as soon as next week, with a final vote coming as soon as the following week.

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