There have been two incidents reported concerning parking spaces. The first, in Pennsylvania, tells of a woman who was struck by a car when she was saving a parking space. The second, concerned a man in New York that was struck in the face by ice when he tried to take a space that had been shoveled out by another.
OK, I’m as much against violence and parking as the next guy, but there reaches a point where people crack.
In the first case, we all know, I mean its an unwritten law, that you DON’T SAVE parking spaces. Period. When the car arrives, it gets the next space. The concept of the wife finding and saving a space by standing in it is simply not on. Fortunately in this case the woman was not seriously hurt. The driver of the car that hit her was booked on aggravated assault.
I can imagine he was aggravated. How would you feel? You had just spent 20 minutes cruising the lot looking for an empty space. You spied the space up ahead, and then when you arrived, you found Mazie standing in the space waving you off. Aggravation is the least of it.
As for the guy in New York…Frankly I have no sympathy for him. Having shoveled out a space or two in my time, I gotta tell you that gives you every right to the space.
A friend of mine shoveled out a space filled with six feet of snow at the Mammouth Mountain Ski resort in California a few years ago. He then went to get his double parked car. When he returned another had taken the space. When the errant parker returned he found is car filled with snow. Now that’s justice.
By the way, the fellow who threw the ice is still at large. I’m sure the NY cops have a task force out looking for him.
JVH
One Response
My girlfriend and I were recently in Boston looking for an on street space close to a pub to have a late dinner and a few beers. There happened to be several condos in close proximity to the restaurant and apparantly condo owners in that area feel that they are entitled to the spaces in front of their condo. I spotted an open space and parallel parked. As we got out of our rental car a minivan pulls up and the man demands that I get out of his space because that is his condo and his space. I looked at the meter and informed him that there was no sign claiming that spot for him. This little “Soccer Dad” (Quick Description: 5’6″ 175lbs of flab, driving a minivan and dressed as though he just left his office) proceeds to get out of the vehicle and scream profanities at my girlfriend and myself in a psychotic manner. He informs me that people in Boston fight over parking spaces and he’ll teach me a lesson to take back to wherever I’m from (which is Indianapolis). He wasn’t showing any interest in a real physical altercation with me but it made me nervous seeing the severe frustration, anger and rage in his eyes. I got between he and my girl, we ignore him and walk into the pub. We sit and have one beer each and I have a gut instinct to forego our dinner and just get room service at the hotel. As we approach our rental vehicle it looks a bit different, the windshield was bashed in, the whole passenger side was keyed and the tail light cracked. Thank god the 2007 Jeep Commnader was only a rental. I was shocked!! I’ve worked in all types of parking operations over the last 7 years and have never witnessed such anger stem from a parking incident. I learned a few things that night: 1) Bostonians takes their parking seriously 2) There was a $500 deductible on the rental and I should have paid for the renters insurance 3) When in Rome do…you know the saying. I should have stooped to his level and fought him over the parking space.