PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Oncoming traffic returns to busy East Carson Street on the South Side.
Pittsburgh Public Safety is ending its air traffic pilot program that reduced traffic flow on some of the busiest nights of the week.
CONTINUE READING: Big traffic changes on East Carson Street after triple shooting
The aim was to reduce traffic jams, improve pedestrian safety and reduce violence.
The city says it has seen several positive improvements. So from Friday evening the traffic will be back to how it was.
In a statement, Wendell Hissrich, director of public security for the city said: “The public security department is pleased with the progress made in increasing security on the south side. As promised, we held regular discussions with residents and companies during this time to exchange ideas on the effects and effectiveness of the pilot program and increased enforcement. We thank everyone for their patience and participation in this effort. It has not always been easy to reconcile competing needs, but we are grateful for the partnerships that have helped. “
However, they still plan to enforce the no-parking zones between South 10th and South 18th Streets on Fridays and Saturdays after 8 p.m.
In addition, police said their increased presence in the area resulted in 12 arrests, one firearm-related arrest, one firearm seizure, 371 subpoenas and towing of 69 vehicles in the past four weekends.
CONTINUE READING: Pittsburghers have mixed reactions to the weekend traffic restrictions on East Carson Street
A worker told KDKA’s Royce Jones that crime had decreased, but so had their stores and tips.
“More in August than in July, that money definitely took a hit,” said Nicole Macedo, bartender at Smiling Moose. “It was very slow. We even closed the restaurant at 12 noon on a couple of weekends. “
For tattoo artist Sean McCarthy, traffic and parking restrictions have shaped the business at Jester’s Court Tattoos.
“We stay longer and longer on Fridays and Saturdays because of the walk-in crowd that is devastated,” McCarthy said.
Workers KDKA has spoken to are happy with the end of the restrictions and hope that business will start up again. But they are also curious to see if crime will stay low.
“It could make it worse because it’s like everyone’s going crazy again because we all know what the South Side can be like,” said Vault CEO Jasmine Underwood.
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