Towing for pope's visit begins Sept. 20

IN PREPARATION for Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia, towing - a/k/a vehicular rapture - will begin on Center City streets in the "secure perimeter" and the "secure vehicle perimeter" of the "Francis Festival Grounds" on Sept. 20 and continue through to Sept. 23, city officials announced yesterday.

About 1,500 free parking spots will be available at a Pattison Avenue lot for those who live within the perimeters and an additional 2,000 spaces in six garages across the city will be available for $20 to residents in the perimeters through the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

Mayor Nutter announced the details of vehicular towing at his eighth papal news conference at City Hall yesterday along with new information about commercial trash pickup and deliveries to businesses within the Francis Festival Grounds. Nutter also announced that the city's bike share program, Indego, will operate and staff four stations during the papal visit.

Towing will occur in four waves beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, and continuing through to 9 a.m. Sept. 23. Notices will be placed on city streets within the perimeters starting on Monday.

Car owners who can prove they live within the perimeters will be allowed to park for free in about 1,500 spots at the Naval Hospital lot on Pattison Avenue near Broad Street at the beginning of the week, Nutter said.

Residents within the perimeters can also prepurchase one of 2,000 parking spaces available in six city garages through www.philapark.org. The spaces go for a flate rate of $20 for Sept. 24 to Sept. 28.

Given that the parking garage spaces don't open until 6 p.m. on Sept. 24, the Philadelphia Parking Authority will issue those who purchase a garage space a placard to put in their vehicle, which will prevent the car from being towed until 10 p.m. Sept. 24.

Nutter also said that Luxe, a private valet service, will pick up residents' cars and move them out of the perimeters at a cost of $20 per day.

In other papal matters, Nutter announced that businesses within the "Francis Festival Grounds" will be able to schedule food deliveries and trash pickups from midnight to 4 a.m. on the Saturday and Sunday of Pope Francis' visit.

All trucks going into the grounds must be 28 feet or smaller, and there are no designated entry points for the delivery and trash vehicles.

The 60 or so businesses within the more tightly controlled secure perimeter and secure vehicle perimeter that require trash removal or deliveries will have to have their trucks screened by the U.S. Secret Service. Information about the entry and screening points for those trucks will be given directly to the affected businesses, Nutter said.

Those interested in renting a bike through the city's bike-share program, Indego, will be able to do so at four staffed locations throughout the city during the papal weekend. Those locations are at 19th and Walnut streets, Front and Dock streets, 30th and Market streets and Broad and Spring Garden streets. Bicycles will be allowed in the Francis Festival Grounds, but not within the secure perimeters.

Finally, Nutter, who at a June news conference told papal pilgrims that they should "Be prepared to walk at least a few miles, or more," seemed to change his tune yesterday.

"It will be surprisingly easy to get here and enjoy it," he said. "Once you're in the Francis Festival Grounds if you need to walk somewhere to get to where you're going, quite honestly, you won't have to walk very far."

When asked to explain what's changed, Nutter said that enhancements SEPTA has made to its schedule, including doubling the number of open stations during the papal weekend and adding a stop at 8th and Market, which is two blocks away from Independence Hall, has helped.

"The travel distances have been reduced, but that has not taken away from the larger point that we were trying to make way back in June . . . and that is that you will have to walk some distances," Nutter said.

Officials also stressed that hotel rooms are still available during the papal weekend. When asked if crowds are still expected to reach 1 million or more, Nutter said, "I don't know how many people are coming."

"It's not like folks are calling us individually, like this is a house party, and saying 'Hey! We're going to show up!' " Nutter said.

Donna Crilley Farrell, executive director of the World Meeting of Families and official papal cheerleader, dropped a hint at the news conference that there will be some big names attending the papal festivities.

"We have a few special guests yet to be announced who will be here and of course we have one special guest . . . Pope Francis," Farrell said. "Our entire city is going to be so alive."

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