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.