Cars parked in Wiltondale
Towson University students and staff have figured out a way to avoid the cost and hassle of paying for parking on campus: Just go a few blocks south and park on the street in the Wiltondale neighborhood. But that will likely end soon.
The Baltimore County Council will vote later this month on legislation that would add parts of the Wiltondale neighborhood to the county’s permit parking areas. Most of the affected streets will be one-hour parking from 8AM to 9PM Monday through Friday. Residents who have purchased permit stickers ($32 for the first year) do not have to abide by the restrictions. Residents are not required to buy stickers; if they have off-street parking, they can simply utilize that, said Mike Filsinger, division chief of Baltimore County’s traffic engineering department.
Permit parking in effect on Aigburth Ave.
In order to qualify for permit parking, a neighborhood must have at least 70 percent of its street-parking spaces utilized on a regular basis, and at least 25 percent of the cars must be registered to people who do not live in the area.
When Wiltondale was studied in the fall — at the neighborhood’s request — officials found that nearly 100 percent of the spaces were utilized, and about 80 percent of the cars were non-Wiltondale residents, Filsinger said. The numbers in the spring study were similar.
“It’s getting harder and harder for people who live there to park and to get in their driveways,” Filsinger said. “But this is not something we take lightly; from start to finish this process took over a year.”
The university is in the process of building a new science complex on York Road, which residents expect to add to the parking problem.
Pending approval from the County Council, Filsinger said, the parking restrictions will probably start in July.
“In general, I have always supported permit parking where there is local support,” said Councilman David Marks, who represents the area. “Here, an overwhelming number of residents want this change.”
Filsinger said residents of Dixie Drive in Southland Hills have also asked for permit parking, but so far their numbers don’t make them eligible. But with the university’s growth, he said, the problem will only get worse.
Permit parking is only a remedy for areas where parking is a problem because of non-residents, Filsinger said. A neighborhood in which residents simply own more cars than the streets can easily handle would not qualify.
The president of the Wiltondale Improvement Association declined to comment for this article.
Permits for Wiltondale may be purchased online or in person. Fees are waived for residents who are 65 or older. A map of the affected streets can be found here.