BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

It is crazy. I don't what sort of self-centered mindset people have that they feel they can block a travel lane instead of finding a legit parking spot. At the very least, block a secondary road instead of a primary one.

The worst offenders I see are in Oakland in front of the McDonalds. I want to stick a big f-ing NOT A DRIVE THROUGH sign right there. I see it at least a few times a week. One idiot parks their crap rust bucket in front of MickyDees, turns the hazards on, and sends another idiot in to stand in line and get a bag of food, all the while they sit there with hazards blinking. Traffic gets totally messed up, busses and everything have to change lanes and funnel around these people. What the F? I travel the same lane at 25+ mph and people will honk. Why doesn't anyone rage at these idiots PARKED in the middle of a busy road because they're too lazy to walk a block or two (or across the street!) in order to satiate their Big Mac attack?

I'm guessing it's recently worse because the meter rates around the city have gone up maybe? McD's patron's have no excuse, other than perhaps the food they are addicted to has made them stupid and unable to judge their actions appropriately.

Higher meter rates should help this situation by freeing up the parking spots. These people are parking in no parking areas.

Motorcycle cops with tow trucks are out on Wood alot in the afternoons. I like to watch from our office windows at the people running to their cars to try in vain to get them off the lifts.

as I posted this morning.. here is the answer:

http://bike-pgh.org/bbpress/topic/lithuania-deals-with-cars-parked-in-bike-lanes#post-80631

we should see if warner bros will donate one of the bat mobiles after they are done filming. they would make great car smashers and what else are they going to do with them after this movie?

rsprake - but by parking ilegally (made legal by the little "Park Anywhere" button on the dash), one doesn't have to fill the meter.

never said it made sense. Reasons don't have to be reasonable.

Just park in the metered space and don't put quarters in, it is less illegal (or at least the fines are cheaper) than parking in a no parking zone, or parking in a travel lane.

dwillen, that requires the ability to actually park. that lovely button on the dash makes all those problems go away... (jk, but I love the name)

I'm always incredulous when delivery trucks block that part of Forbes Avenue by McDonald's. The other day, I saw a truck "parked" unloading several fancy office printers. They had one load lying down in the street, apparently unattended. Isn't the rule on parking chairs that anything just left there in the street is considered abandoned property? Free printers...

I used to see police cars parked in front of the City-County Building (a definite no-parking zone). The flashing lights weren't on or anything (a couple times I saw the officers stroll up to the main entrance; definitely not chasing a bad guy or whatever).

I guess it's not technically a bike lane, and it's unclear that it would do anything except make me feel better, but I really enjoy posting pictures on mybikelane.com and might start doing it for egregious violators like these.

there was a recent study released linking obesity with brain atrophy. It is a scientific fact.

There was an episode of parking wars that featured people with hazards parked where ever they wanted getting tickets.

I have a patient who is a retired motorcycle cop that worked traffic for years and he told me a funny story about a stupid woman once. He was working outside of some grocery store. A woman pulled up to a handicapped spot. She didn't have a placard or a handi license plate. She parked. He looked at her and she looked at him. She said she would be just a minute, cause she just had to "run in and get her cigarettes". He told her that if she leaves that car there, she will get a ticket. She thought about it and went in. I think the fine was over 300 dollars. When she came out and saw the ticket, she was yelling at him. Smoking also causes brain atrophy.

The worst offenders I see are in Oakland in front of the McDonalds.

This.

My temptation would be to have one of those bicycle sized "Ride a f*cking bike" stickers and plaster it on the driver's window. Not positioned to block seeing out, but firmly pressed on so that the owner will spend a solid several minutes removing the thing later and think about it real hard.

Stu, I like your style. Where can I get said stickers. I may need practice applying them at speed though.

I dunno... tit for tat doesn't do much for improving cyclist-motorist relations.

The fantasy of it can be cathartic.

I could see a sticker that says "No, you are not the center of the universe". That could be useful in millions of situations even unrelated to biking.