Even limousines aren't above the law

This pisses me off. The limo driver comes up. Parks in 2 spots. Doesn't bother to pay the parking meter (of course he can't because it's after 3:30 and because of the heavy "rush hour" traffic, the city won't let you park there and therefore you cannot pay the parking meter) he walked away without looking at the parking kiosk. He arrived back in time to attempt to talk his way out of the ticket but he failed. I hope he got twice the amount.

Not really blocking traffic

Everything else is already blocking the "rush hour" traffic and ticketed. And being towed, so no harm, no foul just sitting in an unused spot. That teeny car wasn't really taking up that much space but it got towed anyway. Still had the deal plates on it.

The lane's clear for "rush hour"!!

Oh wait it's not. The parking checker is sitting there waiting for violators. Blocking the lane him/herself.

Blocking traffic.

Yup. In the city's drive to keep the streets clear for "rush hour" traffic, this tow truck took 5 minutes of blocking all 3 lanes to tow a car yesterday. The owner came running out as I buzzed by on my scooter. There's no stopping the tow truck though.

Just another busy day for towtrucks

Towed away 3 cars in the half hour I was watching. Generally speaking blocked at least 2 and often all 3 of the 3 lanes supposed to be left open for "rush hour" traffic for most of that time.

Blocking the second of 3 lanes

In the brilliance of the city's policy of keeping Water Street open for "rush hour" traffic (that is non existent) the meter readers like to slowly meander down the street, doling out tickets. This one took 20 minutes handing out tickets and blocking the 2nd of the 3 "rush hour" lanes.

The efficiency of the tow trucks

Since last weekend there has been a car parked on the street in front of my office. It has many many tickets on it and a tow notice pasted prominently on its window. At 3:30 everyday there are tow trucks prowling the opposite side of the street like ghouls looking for cars to tow. (And in the process blocking the "rush hour" traffic they are there to facilitate.) The car just sits there staring out at them.

In the middle is the view of the other side of the street that swarms with tow trucks at 3:30. 

Breaking the law

The posted sign.

A new tact.

I'm sure this is illegal. But I have made signs to put on the payment kiosks.

Keeping the streets clear

The truck is just sitting in the middle of the street waiting for the checker to give tickets. Just sittin' there. Keeping the street clear for rush hour traffic.

Illegal turn

You can clearly see the sign forbidding the left hand turn. You can clearly see the city hall clock so you know the sign is not mistaken. The parking checker blocked traffic heading north while he/she waited for the opportunity to make a left hand turn. The city which is so concerned about the flow of traffic (as if there is any - and you can clearly see that there isn't) forbids left hand turns. Unless you are a parking checker headed off to do his duty fighting the crime of parking.

Just some observations

Some other things go on down on the street outside my office. Many of which do not annoy me. Well, some of which do not annoy me. This man, who is obviously a very hard worker seems a little misguided. Unless maybe he likes doing this work, it appears that if he put as much energy into finding a job, or perhaps studying, he might make something more of himself. 

4 before 4.

Remarkably yesterday they towed 4 cars before 3 O'clock. 

This is Truck 1 with his first on board and soon to snatch up the one behind him.

Truck 2 behind him with his first car preparing to block all three lanes for his second.

Towing equipment in place the 4th car is readied to go.

New Year's Towing

    Nothing is as happy for me as seeing the lovely traditions of the season which the city cherishes and shares with her inhabitants, guests and visitors. From the lovely religion-neutral stars and blue circles hanging about the intersections to the, well, I can't think of much else. Most every other thing is paid for with private money. Those stars and circles may be too, for all I know. But what better way to ring in the new year with a right-at-3:45 towing of the first car off of Water Street. An act Scrooge would find heartwarming, the second tow truck was already lined up blocking traffic and waiting for a victim. Sure enough not 3 seconds into the towing of the first, with a tow truck sitting there no less, another car pulls up. Of course, the guy driving the tow truck did the decent thing and said nothing. A meter reader was along in just two shakes of a rat's ass and bingo. . . you can see the meter reader running anxiously to get to the car before the owner returned in the second picture.

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.

Parking issues retold. Part 1.

The 600 block of N Water Street is a busy place during the day. Not so busy at night except on Friday and Saturday late, when the weird club is open. The city in its wisdom has seen fit, for as long as I've been working downtown, to forbid parking between 3:30 and 5:30 pm so the street is clear for rush hour (as if we have any) traffic. In theory, though unnecessary, this is fine. But in practice it is not workable nor fair.

I have worked downtown for more than 30 years. For the last 25 or so I have had a window office on the second floor that faces the corner of Water and Wisconsin. Somehow, and what seems like suddenly, though in fact it's been several years, the parking checkers have multiplied like rabbits, or maybe lice is a better word. One day it just dawned on me that we had a much larger force and they were vicious about their job. If you park downtown and your meter expires, you WILL have a parking ticket. And if you come out in the course of the ticket being written, you have no chance of talking him or her out of it.

Hoping for a little magic or at least mischief

It is unclear what these elves were doing parking on Water Street but my hope is that they were up to no good vis a vis the parking checkers. Whatever they were doing they were also picketing for employment. Things must be getting rough at the North Pole what with all the global warming and such.

Sleeping on the job.

This morning on the way to work I drove past (and hastily took a picture) of Meter reader, car 56 taking a snooze on the clock. Not only was she sleeping on the job, she was taking up a parking space in an area of valuable spaces.