Update 5:26 p.m.: The PPA told Billy Penn this afternoon the agency was going to fix incorrect towing signs in Old City but many have still not been changed.
As of this evening, signs remain in Old City showing that towing for the pope’s visit was to begin at 9 a.m. this morning, even though it wasn’t scheduled to begin until Tuesday night at 6. Here’s a picture of one of the signs that dotted the entire block of Arch near 4th Street.
Billy Penn spoke with a PPA officer working in Old City who said the signs would be fixed “when the girl gets around to it.” He added that in the meantime to park at your own risk “because you know how the PPA is.”
The officer also said Homeland Security was to blame.
It’s certainly a complicated situation: Another sign in Old City, on 4th Street between Arch and Market, featured the correct timeframe for when towing is scheduled to begin.
Yet another part of Old City has two signs next to each other with conflicting information.
The PPA is replacing signs placed in Old City today that claim towing related to the Papal visit would begin this morning, a spokesman told Billy Penn this afternoon.
Despite maps released by the city last week that show towing wasn’t scheduled to begin in Old City until tomorrow evening at 6 p.m., Billy Penn learned today signs showed up all over the neighborhood announcing that towing would be taking place today starting at 9 a.m.:
And cars in the areas of the signs were largely moved:
PPA spokesman Marty O’Rourke said the signs were “inadvertently” hung today and are being replaced by ones that specify the correct time that towing will begin. He said anyone towed today was not towed related to the Papal visit, but would have been towed for other safety reasons.
A parking representative working at a paid lot in the area said towing in the area began this morning, while a customer service representative from the PPA said they’ve been towing there since yesterday. She added “I wouldn’t park there” and recommended finding a lot to park in.
The original towing map that was released by the city looks like this:
