PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Parking Authority is expanding its number of “smart loading zones” in the city more than a year after launching the program in Center City and seeing some success.
On 22 designated blocks in Center City, “smart loading zones” use license plate reading cameras to enforce a 10 cent-per minute fee for vehicles preregistered for its Curbpass program. Vehicles that haven’t registered, or those who remain in a loading zone for more than an hour, get hit with a $51 ticket.
PPA Acting Executive Director Gabe Roberts said traffic is moving along better since the launch of the program in May 2025.
"We've seen traffic speeds increase on Chestnut and Walnut Streets up to approximately 30%," said Roberts.
He said SEPTA’s bus-mounted parking enforcement cameras have also played a role in the improvement.
"I can say that those two things working in tandem has really demonstrated the type of improvements about mobility that we're trying to see throughout the city,” said Roberts.
It’s gone so well, Roberts said PPA is adding 30 more blocks of safe loading zones from Bainbridge to Spring Garden Streets and from the Schuylkill to the Delaware Rivers.
A 30-day warning period for the new blocks begins on Monday, Aug. 17.
