Here’s a real nice law that we citizens of Manassas, in the
Commiewealth Virginia have..
You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
Keep in mind that we’re talking about a residential street,
not a major road (it doesn’t even have lines on it). Parking
left side to the curb could be dangerous, if there were act-
ually traffic to contend with, but there’s not.
To me this seems rather silly, and I had never heard of
such a law, but about 2 years ago at 4:30 in the morning,
in front of my own house, a cop left me a little "Good
morning!" summons for doing this.
I have always regarded this as the silliest ticket I ever
received (even sillier than speeding), because I can’t see
any real basis for this law. If anyone out there can enli-
ghten me as to the rationality of this law (aside from its
revenue potential), I’d appreciate it much.
Baffled (or was that sodomized?) in Manassas
– Mike
——————————————————–
My opinion – Not my employer’s
In article <19sklgINN…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM> m…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori) writes:
> Here’s a real nice law that we citizens of Manassas, in the
> Commiewealth Virginia have..
> You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
> to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
> you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
> Keep in mind that we’re talking about a residential street,
> not a major road (it doesn’t even have lines on it). Parking
> left side to the curb could be dangerous, if there were act-
> ually traffic to contend with, but there’s not.
It has nothing to do with how much traffic the road/street/lane sees.
> To me this seems rather silly, and I had never heard of
> such a law, but about 2 years ago at 4:30 in the morning,
> in front of my own house, a cop left me a little "Good
> morning!" summons for doing this.
> I have always regarded this as the silliest ticket I ever
> received (even sillier than speeding), because I can’t see
> any real basis for this law. If anyone out there can enli-
> ghten me as to the rationality of this law (aside from its
> revenue potential), I’d appreciate it much.
Actually, it’s not silly at all. There’s a similar law in Highland
Park, NJ. It makes sense if you think about it – in order to get your
car in a position where the drivers side is next to the curb, you
would have had to drive on the wrong side of the road – unless, of
course, the street is one-way, in which case, I imagine the law would
not be in effect.
I received a summons for this once when I was waxing my car. The
street was narrow (with parking on one side only), and I didn’t want
to get hit while waxing the drivers side, so when I was finished with
the passengers side, I parked my car with the driver side next to the
curb. I then proceeded to go inside and eat lunch – about 1/2 hour.
When I came out, I had a ticket on my car. It was about $15 or $20,
and while I was upset about it, I paid it because I knew I was wrong –
I just didn’t believe they would nail me so quickly.
Mark
In article <19sklgINN…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM> m…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori) writes:
>Here’s a real nice law that we citizens of Manassas, in the
>Commiewealth Virginia have..
>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
>to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
>you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
>I have always regarded this as the silliest ticket I ever
>received (even sillier than speeding), because I can’t see
>any real basis for this law. If anyone out there can enli-
>ghten me as to the rationality of this law (aside from its
>revenue potential), I’d appreciate it much.
How did you park the car that way? In order to do so, you must have driven the
vehicle left of center. And, you will have to do it again to drive the car
away. This is the city’s way of hitting you for a small amount instead of
charging you with two expensive traffic citations…
Just be happy the cop didn’t see you park the car!
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
In article <19sklgINN…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM> m…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori) writes:
>Here’s a real nice law that we citizens of Manassas, in the
>Commiewealth Virginia have..
>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
>to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
>you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
>Keep in mind that we’re talking about a residential street,
>not a major road (it doesn’t even have lines on it). Parking
>left side to the curb could be dangerous, if there were act-
>ually traffic to contend with, but there’s not.
>To me this seems rather silly, and I had never heard of
>such a law, but about 2 years ago at 4:30 in the morning,
>in front of my own house, a cop left me a little "Good
>morning!" summons for doing this.
>I have always regarded this as the silliest ticket I ever
>received (even sillier than speeding), because I can’t see
>any real basis for this law. If anyone out there can enli-
>ghten me as to the rationality of this law (aside from its
>revenue potential), I’d appreciate it much.
>Baffled (or was that sodomized?) in Manassas
>– Mike
>——————————————————–
>My opinion – Not my employer’s
Recently, my wife got a ticket in Rochester, NY for doing the exact same
thing you just described. Even though it was within city limits, it was
a residential street with limited traffic. I tried rationalizing why this
is so, but after a while I became tongue tied. My only guess would be,
perhaps it is considered dangerous to pull out of that type of parking
position facing traffic.
—
Russell Jaslow |Spec Racer #33 Finger Lakes Reg|NY RANGERS|My employer
Eastman Kodak Company |In memorium: Andrew Spiller, |and the |has nothing
Rochester, New York |Cynthia Bishop Halstead. Keep |Cup! Why |to do with
jas…@bissun.kodak.com|the damn drunks off our roads! |not dream?|my drivel.
Mike,
>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side to the curb.
>You can park on both sides of the street, but you can’t have that driver’s
>side next to the curb.
IOW, you must park in the same direction as traffic, correct?
>Parking left side to the curb could be dangerous, if there were actually
>traffic to contend with, but there’s not. To me this seems rather silly,
>and I had never heard of such a law…
The reason is probably that when you park against the direction of
traffic, your rear lights, which second as reflectors, are not caught by
the headlights of on coming traffic, therefore making your car hard to see.
Turned-off headlights don’t reflect the the headlights of on coming traffic
at night very well.
Regards,
Tony
In rec.autos.driving, m…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori) writes:
>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
>to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
>you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
>If anyone out there can enli-
>ghten me as to the rationality of this law (aside from its
>revenue potential), I’d appreciate it much.
There are several reasons for this, including pulling out and hitting
someone, but the over-riding reason that this is illegal, not only in
Manassas but elsewhere is the following: At night (or other low-sight
conditions) a little thinga-magigy in the *taillights* called a reflector
reflect light to oncoming motorists. This allows them to see your car
parked in the middle of their route of travel and avoid it. This prevents
a lot of accidents, and thus keeps many drivers happy. These afore-
mentioned reflectors are notoriously absent from the front end of the
car, and thus, in the interest of protecting moving motorists, you are
not allowed to park facing traffic. (There are a couple of exceptions,
such as an 82 Volvo 240, which does have front reflectors)
This is completely outside the fact that on any moderately busy road,
this type of parking would cause accidents.
As inconvenient as I’ve found this law to be, I can see the purpose
behind it and grudgingly accept it. Besides, since it is a residential
low-volume street, you’re not going to lose the only space in three
blocks because you had to turn around.
Ron Think about this one (seen on a bumper sticker):
The road to hell is bumper-to-bumper
Make a U-turn to God.
The irony is priceless.
In <19sklgINN…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM> m…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori) writes:
>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
>to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
>you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
Yeah. We got that law here in Australia too. What they book you for is
"Parking too far from the curb".
Think about it.
>– Mike
Murray Chapman
muz…@cs.uq.oz.au
In article <19t4acINN…@spool.mu.edu> ja…@studsys.mscs.mu.edu (Jason Hanson) writes:
>In article <19sklgINN…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM> m…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori) writes:
>>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
>>to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
>>you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
>>I have always regarded this as the silliest ticket I ever
>>received (even sillier than speeding), because I can’t see
>>any real basis for this law.
>How did you park the car that way? In order to do so, you must have driven the
>vehicle left of center. And, you will have to do it again to drive the car
>away.
Not true.
He could have jumped the curb and made a 3 point turn up on the sidewalk.
In article <Bv4yrw….@news.cso.uiuc.edu> t…@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:
>In article <19t4acINN…@spool.mu.edu> ja…@studsys.mscs.mu.edu (Jason Hanson) writes:
>>vehicle left of center. And, you will have to do it again to drive the car
>>away.
>Not true.
>He could have jumped the curb and made a 3 point turn up on the sidewalk.
Which is still an ordinance violation most places (with a probably higher
fine.) <grin>
In article <1992Sep24.154810.10…@ryn.mro4.dec.com> bals…@wmodev.enet.dec.com (Antonio L. Balsamo (Save the wails)) writes:
#
# The reason is probably that when you park against the direction of
# traffic, your rear lights, which second as reflectors, are not caught by
# the headlights of on coming traffic, therefore making your car hard to see.
# Turned-off headlights don’t reflect the the headlights of on coming traffic
# at night very well.
Now THAT actually makes sense! I’ve never given it a second thought,
but it does make some sense. Thanks, Tony!
– Mike
In article <1a7c4oINN…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM> m…@gilligan.East.Sun.COM (Mike Roncadori) writes:
>In article <1992Sep24.154810.10…@ryn.mro4.dec.com> bals…@wmodev.enet.dec.com (Antonio L. Balsamo (Save the wails)) writes:
>#
># The reason is probably that when you park against the direction of
># traffic, your rear lights, which second as reflectors, are not caught by
># the headlights of on coming traffic, therefore making your car hard to see.
># Turned-off headlights don’t reflect the the headlights of on coming traffic
># at night very well.
>Now THAT actually makes sense! I’ve never given it a second thought,
>but it does make some sense. Thanks, Tony!
Picture in your mind the headlamp switch for your car. This switch has
three positions: an off position, a full-on position which turns on the
headlights, and an in-between position which turns on your parking
lights. Ever wonder why they call those things "parking lights?"
It comes from the days when it used to be required by law that your
vehicle have "parking lights" to make it visible to other vehicles while
parked at night. Apparently this is no longer required in most areas
(undoubtedly because most areas have streetlights), but in some areas it’s
still required (I read about it in the Illinois Rules of the Road book). So,
if you want to park "backwards," just turn on your parking lights. No
reflectors necessary.
In article <1992Sep24.154810.10…@ryn.mro4.dec.com> bals…@wmodev.enet.dec.com (Antonio L. Balsamo (Save the wails)) writes:
> The reason is probably that when you park against the direction of
> traffic, your rear lights, which second as reflectors, are not caught by
> the headlights of on coming traffic, therefore making your car hard to see.
> Turned-off headlights don’t reflect the the headlights of on coming traffic
> at night very well.
Nope. The reason is that it’s impossible to park against the direction of
traffic without actually driving against the direction of traffic at some
point.
–
John Reece "This lifeboat is full"
Not an Intel spokesman - Neutral saying in WWII
In article <BvB5s1…@inews.Intel.COM> jre…@sousa.intel.com writes:
>Nope. The reason is that it’s impossible to park against the direction of
>traffic without actually driving against the direction of traffic at some
>point.
>–
Well, hell…
That doesn’t make sense, because I had to drive against traffic
just the other day, when I had to chase a troop of Boy Scouts off
the sidewalk, into a grocery store.
Seriously, what about left turns? To me, it’s kind of the same
principle. I have to cross the oncoming lane in order to get into
my driveway..
– Mike
—————————————————————-
Total opinion and conjecture – Not the stuff an employer would
say.
>>>>> On 28 Sep 92 21:45:36 GMT, jre…@sousa.intel.com (John Reece) said:
John> Nope. The reason is that it’s impossible to park against the
John> direction of traffic without actually driving against the
John> direction of traffic at some point.
So what? If I’m permitted to drive against the direction of traffic (AtDoT)
while passing, what is wrong in permitting me to do the same while
parking?
Besides, simple parallel parking involves some driving AtDoT
Michal J.