Hatboro Hopes to Clear Commuters from Residential Streets

Hatboro officials are hoping to steer commuters away from parking on North Penn Street.

The residential street, which is adjacent the , has two-hour parking signs lining both sides of the street. The problem is, according to Police Chief James Gardner, that the ordinance for the signs has not been re-codified, meaning the signs are “unenforceable.”

Judging from the commuters that Gardner said frequent the street - for longer than two-hour intervals - motorists know they will not be ticketed.

“We’ve had them up there for that purpose,” Gardner said of his department’s hopes that the signs will discourage people from parking there. “But, it hasn’t worked.”

That may soon change.

Hatboro borough council agreed during Monday night’s meeting to put fliers on commuters’ cars, asking them to relocate to the largely unused lot behind Station Park. Officials agreed to revisit the matter in October to see if the situation has improved. 

If train riders continue to park on North Penn Street, officials said they could put the 1961 ordinance back on the books, with some updates. The parking fee under the old regulation was $3. Gardner said parking meter violators are currently ticketed $10.

Also, the existing signs call for two-hour parking Monday through Saturday, but Gardner said Monday through Friday would be better.

Regardless of what happens, Councilwoman Aleta Ostrander said either the signs should be removed or regulations should be put in place to give the police support to ticket offenders.

“I think we owe it to them to put something behind the sign or take it down,” Ostrander said. “We have to address it sooner or later.”