They must be exhausted

One can imagine the rigors of the search for the illegal parker and just how terribly tired the champions of truth and justice (as it were) must become. This must be why the meter readers naps so frequently. I found this particular one just last Thursday at around 7:30 am. I'm sure she was refreshed and up to her task after her 40 winks.

Just plain wrong, retold.

Between 3:30 and 5:30, as you may already have read, the city does not want you to park on Water Street in the 600 block. This is so that the street remains clear for “rush hour” traffic. Not having people parking in that lane ostensibly opens a third lane for all the downtown traffic. But since it is not marked, and since the meter kiosk does not tell you cannot park there. People do anyway. And then with the incessantly hovering meter readers, 2 lanes are blocked. Throw in a tow truck and all 3 and sometimes the outside, oncoming lane is blocked. What is the point? If the city needs the street clear it is not being accomplished. The present system is a mess, it doesn’t do anything except make money for the city and for the towing companies. It is a misery for all the people who park there and most of them very unknowingly leave their cars because the city deliberately does not make it obvious that you are going to be ticketed much less towed.

The ceaseless work of the meter reader

The view from my condo affords me a sweeping panorama of the west. In the foreground is the parking lot of the Pick and Save. It is a popular napping spot for the tireless, well, apparently not tireless since they are often tired after their relentless pursuance of the injustices of the parked car, meter readers. I noticed, but did not have my camera to get a shot of it yesterday, the meter readers out MARKING TIRES WITH CHALK so downtown shoppers don't overstay their 2 hour limit downtown. On Saturdays, you can park for free BUT ONLY FOR 2 HOURS AND NO MORE!!!! What idiocy. Let's encourage people to come downtown so we can give them tickets.

Oh, and just give a drive by any morning around 7 in the vicinity of Lyon and Jackson and look for the sleeping meter readers.