New parking rules, one-way streets and other changes coming to State College

Parking and traffic changes are coming to State College streets after Borough Council approved several changes on Monday, including converting three downtown streets to one-ways in a pilot program.

Borough Council unanimously approved a proposal by the parking department that was presented in June to update part of the borough’s parking ordinance that addressed previously-identified issues, including fixing gaps in collecting unpaid garage fees and tightening enforcement tools for repeat violators. The proposal would also codify existing and new pilot programs with the ability to document and legally enforce them.

The amendments expand tour and charter bus drop-off locations, codify digital payment-only parking zones, add construction parking permits and loading zone enforcement, update booting and garage payment policies, establish special event parking enforcement and maintenance rules and remove the Highlands Residential Parking Permit program.

The pilot programs approved alongside the ordinance update include extending the two-hour maximum meter pilot through December and launching a special event parking pilot that would require event-rate parking throughout the Highlands, Holmes-Foster and College Heights neighborhoods. The overnight 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. no-parking restriction would also be in effect during special events like Penn State football weekends, when those neighborhoods have previously had that restriction lifted.

Downtown one-way pairs plan changes

A proposal to implement one-way pairs on Locust and Hiester Streets, and on Sowers and Hetzel Streets to increase on-street public parking and loading zones was approved by Borough Council, though Locust Lane was removed after much discussion.

Council member Matt Herndon proposed amending the pilot to exclude Locust Lane due to safety concerns. He argued that Locust Lane is a key, direct route for people biking into downtown where a one-way cuts off critical bike routes and makes streets unsafe.

“The danger of a one-way is that you have a wide open street and people start treating it like a racetrack,” Herndon said. “For the time being, the safety components of this change are really why I support it, and while I think the three other streets are likely to see improved safety by becoming one way, I am far less sure about Locust.”

He also argued that making Locust one‑way in the opposite direction from the segment across Beaver Avenue would confuse both drivers and cyclists, increasing the risk that people will travel the wrong way on the street, creating new safety problems rather than solving existing ones.

Borough Manager Tom Fountaine told the council that there was no data to prove that Locust Lane is a busy street, and that part of the pilot program’s purpose, apart from adding parking and more loading zones, is to collect traffic data and evaluate whether converting the street to one-way improves safety and reduces cut-through traffic at a dangerous intersection.

If the change is ineffective, the borough could consider other options, including keeping Locust Lane two-way while making Easterly Parkway one-way.

Council member Susan Venegoni said that the one-way pilot could also create confusion and safety risks for pedestrians, saying people may continue crossing where no crosswalk exists despite changes to traffic patterns.

“That safety aspect of it, in addition to your concerns about the bikes, which I hear fully, makes me hesitant on this part of the ordinance,” Venegoni said.

But Fountaine said that existing downtown traffic design already reduces pedestrian conflicts by removing crosswalks at intersections with turning vehicles, and Locust configuration fits within that broader approach.

“We’ve gone to great lengths to eliminate those, I’ll call them the wrong side turn crossings throughout, even at several of the signalized intersections. We’ve made some of those changes already, so we will continue to do that,” he said.

Council President Evan Myers was not in favor of removing Locust Lane from the proposal at the last minute, saying doing so would undermine the overall plan and disregard the analysis completed by borough staff. The proposal had already been reviewed with residents and affected business owners, he added.

“(Locust Lane is) part of an integrated plan. If you start cherry-picking one street without thinking about what the plan is, then it could turn into a mess ... these guys have thought about it in an organized way, and that’s what they’ve come up with,” Myers said, adding that any changes should require proper analysis, public input and integration into the broader traffic and parking plan.

After a lengthy debate that prompted several council members to reconsider their positions, a majority of the council voted to remove Locust Lane from the proposal, with Myers casting the lone vote to keep it.

The plan will be implemented over a six-month trial period from August through January. Near the end of the trial, borough staff will present a report to the council, which will decide whether to extend the pilot for another six months or adopt the changes permanently through an ordinance.

State College Borough Mayor Ezra Nanes said staff will study whether a bike lane could be added to Locust Lane as part of future improvements.

Paloma Pimentel

Centre Daily Times