Philly drivers must pay to park in certain loading zones starting April 1st: Here's what to know

PHILADELPHIA - Running errands in Center City? 

You will soon have to pay to park in certain loading zones.

What we know:

Starting April 1st, drivers will have to pay on a different app from the ParkMobile app to park in 22 Center City loading zones as an effort to minimize congestion. If you are parking for 3 minutes or under, you do not have to pay.

The paid loading will cost 10 cents/minute, up to an hour maximum. After that, you could face a ticket or a tow. The zones will be constantly monitored with cameras.

There will be a three-week warning period after it rolls out on April 1st.

What they're saying:

There’s no such thing as a PhD in reading parking signs in Philadelphia, but sometimes it feels like there should be.

"It’s all confusing, it’s all confusing," said JV Pearson. "You look up there and you go like, ‘OK, it says no stopping from 3:30 to 6:30 and then it says paid loading,’ and you’re like, ‘Well, what is that?’"

It’s a question people are starting to ask after new "1-hour paid loading" signs, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., Monday through Friday, popped on Walnut Street between 12th and 20th streets. Typical loading zones in the city are free, but specify a time limit or certain hours or days, and sometimes "passenger unloading" or "street loading" only.

FOX 29 spoke with several restaurant employees on Walnut Street that were indifferent to the change.

Robert Rivera, who says he unloads deliveries several times a week in the city, says he’s all for making loading zones more available, but he isn’t sold on this yet.

"We’re out here working, there’s nowhere to park, there’s hardly any loading zones, and you know, we try to be as safe as possible so we can do our job, and it’s hard, and now they want us to pay to load?" he said. "There’s times that I pull up to a loading zone, and there’s cars parked, but the Parking Authority come give us a ticket."

"Running in and out, like I don’t see no point for paying for parking when you’re going to run in and out," said Keasha Walker. "I don’t see a point in that at all."

What's next:

The PPA says they will hold a press conference at noon on Wednesday to release full details on the new Smart Loading Zone initiative.