Parking Rage Reigns in 'Frisco
According to The New York Times, San Franciscans have been shocked (shocked I tell you) by vicious assaults "related to finding places to park, including an attack in which a young man was killed trying to defend a spot he had found." Victims (other than the English language) include SF parking control officers (PCO). The don't call them meter maids say the public abuse is insoportable.For example, a motorist [allegedly] punched a parking control officer straight through the window of his Geo Metro. "Just driving down the street, you get yelled at," claims Lawanna Preston. The staff director for the union representing the PCOs says her co-workers "can't even eat lunch with that uniform on, because people approach them and curse at them." Blogger John Van Horn reports that paranoia strikes deep in the heart of the city. "I've noticed lately watching some of the citation writers; they don't get very far away from their vehicles. They want to be able to get away." Rather than mounting some kind of charm offensive, SF officials are looking at mounting cameras on parking officers' vehicles to catch and prosecute anyone who dares challenge the PCO's authority commits an assault.
Glenn is a baby-boomer, born in 1954. Along with his wife, he makes his home in Connecticut. Employed in the public sector as an Information Tedchnology Specialist, Glenn has long been a car fan. Past rides have included heavy iron such as a 1967 GTO, to a V8 T-Bird. In between those high-horsepower cars, he's owned a pair of BMW 320i's. Now, with a daily commute of 40 miles, his concession to MPG dictates the ownership of a 2006 Honda Civic coupe which, while fun to drive, is a modest car for a pistonhead. As an avid reader, Glenn enjoys TTAC, along with many other auto-realated sites, and the occasional good book. As an avid electronic junkie, Glenn holds an Advanced Class amateur ("ham") radio license, and is into many things electronic. From a satellite radio and portable GPS unit in the cars, to a modest home theater system and radio-intercom in his home, if it's run by the movement of electrons, he's interested. :-)
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LOL... I've successfully parked in SF on the street on three different occasions. Mind you, it took a while, and those hills are ridiculous, but still, I didn't know it was that bad. I guess next time, I'll simply park at my hotel in San Mateo and just taxi up.
I drove around SF a couple months ago. Didn't find parking that bad, I mean comparable to Manhattan where I live. I managed to find a metered spot everywhere I went, but I'm used to hunting down and making sense of inscrutable parking signs. Actually I really enjoyed driving around the city. If you live there I imagine you would need your own garage, or rent a monthly space, much like Manhattan. At least public transportation there is decent.
carlisimo: As an aside, the use of "insupportable" is probably coming from a Spanish speaker. ‘Insoportable’ is how we usually say ‘intolerable.’ Thanks for the explanation. :-) TTAC readers' knowledge, on a wide variety of subjects, continues to impress.
I still have $2800 in outstanding parking tickets "owed" to Washington DC. Just try and collect 'em. They link them to license plates. They're not on my credit report because, as I found out - if you change your license plate (free for Virginia residents) the mail stops coming.