How many times have you gone into a busy venue only to find that the number of parking spaces had dwindled due to lousy parking skills? Or even been bumped up from impatient drivers making their very own spaces out of the nearest obstacle free real estate like the drive lane?
For myself and a few other parents, it is a daily struggle. I am particularly referring to the elementary school that my two children attend. But I know this irritating problem is widespread. It is however, such a small problem that the police often will blow off the reported incidents because they know that by the time they can get to it, the offender will have long since been gone. A sad fact that can only be solved by the abuse--I mean ability of the ordinary Joe who has to see it everywhere we go, or an officer posted at the most offending locations. Logic says that we can't afford the latter.
Give citizens the ability to carry ticket books and give us a system of checks and balance so it isn't abused to the fullest potential. Certifications would be a good start. Something!?!?
Where my kids attend, there are no school buses that transport for us. So most of the parents and other caregivers have to drive the kids to school and pick up after as well. This creates a major traffic flow problem as it is on this narrow residential street but is nothing compared to the unrealistic attempts at parking by a good 40% of the drivers around there (roughly estimating).
These people will park anywhere! I mean anywhere. They park on the curbs, the walks, the home's driveways (in them and blocking them), the parking lot handicap spaces, the yellow areas, the loading zones, isles, drive lanes, and my personal favorite...THE CENTER of the street!
Yes, they will absolutely with zero regard for anyone on occasion, park their banged up minivans right in the road and run up to the school grab their kid and act as if you are rude for using your horn (after all, it is a grade school...got to keep it g rated).
Remember the safety patrol? Those few "responsible" kids with the bright neon yellow belts that got out of class ten minutes early so they could go guard the playgrounds, direct traffic, and cross the kids on the intersections...they are no help. Don't they train these kids to do anything anymore? When I was in the safety patrol (yeah I was one) we were supposed to do things. I know they are not the traffic enforcers but they just stand there and do nothing. All of them do it...nothing that is.
In reality I know I will not get a ticket book to carry around but I do know that the only way to solve a problem like this one is to be creative and don't rely on outside help. I wish it were legal to run around looking like LEO (law enforcement officer) but unfortunately we can't.
But fake tickets also known as joke parking tickets, are they going to help? Well they might help you get a black eye and a fat lip. Or at the least a good laugh. But anything short of actually solving the problem is only prolonging it and in turn, making it worse.
So what do you do? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? Even asking the school to send home notes about the situation have failed more than once. A different school for next year? I just hope they can figure something out before it gets any worse.