Pot Calling the Kettle Black.

[ralerin]

I figured this would go here instead of in Sightings, as it deals with cars in a parking lot.

My mother, as she was waiting for my father to finish buying stuff inside my Aid of Rite, was parked in the fire lane and watched this 70+ year old woman take up 2 of the handicapped spaces, get out and go inside. Couple minutes later she comes back and taps on the window. Mum rolls it down.

EL: "Excuse me, but do you know you're parked in the fire lane?"
Mum: "Yes, I know, and it's none of your business."
El:

Mum rolls up the window. EL begins tapping on the glass but mum ignores her, even as her tapping gets louder and louder. Finally, EL goes in front of the car, stares at mum for a minute, then stares at the license plate and goes inside to tattle. By that time, Dad was done and they left quickly.

From inside the store, I noticed one of the managers going to the front with an elderly lady, looking out and shaking their head. The lady looked furious.

[Andara Bledin]

Wow, paired suck happening there, all right.

The EL who took up two spaces is an entitled bitch, and anyone who parks in the fire lane is a jerk. You are aware that the store can get a huge fine for someone parked there, right?

^-.-^

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

At the swamp, we tell customers waiting for carryouts to go park in the fire lane. Generally they don't shut their engines off; they just idle. Nobody's ever complained to the fire department or the police about it.

I keep thinking it would be better to have these people pull around the building to the vendor door instead, the way we do carryouts on Black Friday, but the vendor door has to be locked at all times it isn't in use, and receipt verification would be impossible. Still, a guy can dream.

[LillFilly]

Where I work we allow the cars into the firelane for loading and unloading; groceries, large products, and disabled people. People sitting in the fire lane waiting for more than 3-min are asked to move; if they don't move after 5-min they get a ticket. Unattended vehicles also get a ticket after 5-minutes. They are given this grace period because, unfortunately, it seems every time a fire lane ticket goes to court the people argue they were loading/unloading/weren't even sitting there and the judge believes them. Sigh. I get called a lot of nasty names when I ask them to move.

[PepperElf]

too bad she didn't tell the EL "that's fine. I reported you to the cops for taking up 2 handicapped spots"

:devili:

[ralerin]

All told, my mum was in the lane for about 2 minutes, idling, since dad had to get something really quick. But I agree, they shouldn't have been in the lane period. Still, EL running in to tattle when it's clear that she doesn't think the rules apply to her? *shakes head*

[Andara Bledin]

I've done the whole drive to the store and have the passenger run in for something quick-like. I usually sit in one of the parking lanes about 3 or 4 down from the doors where there's not much traffic, and only pull up when the passenger is coming out of the store.

At the very least, you're less likely to have some nimrod run into your car if you're not at the most heavily trafficed point in the parking lot.

^-.-^

[repsac]

Heh, I may be telling on myself here, but I'm the kind of person that will tell on the people parking in the fire lanes. Though in my case I'll only do it if there isn't anyone sitting in the car. No car=Fair Game.

[tropicsgoddess]

Mum rolls up the window. EL begins tapping on the glass but mum ignores her, even as her tapping gets louder and louder. Finally, EL goes in front of the car, stares at mum for a minute, then stares at the license plate and goes inside to tattle. By that time, Dad was done and they left quickly.

From inside the store, I noticed one of the managers going to the front with an elderly lady, looking out and shaking their head. The lady looked furious.

Would it be mean of me to laugh at that Old Bat's failed attempt ? *cue Nelson Muntz Laugh*

[ditchdj]

Although I'm not too crazy about people parking in the fire lane, I get a lot more incensed when people take the law into their own hands and try to enforce traffic laws on their own. Just like idiotic semis that try to use their big rigs to "Play Traffic Cop" when they get within five miles of a road construction zone.

We had a news report recently about a pizza delivery guy and some idiot nearly getting into a fistfight because the guy came out of his house and felt the pizza guy was driving "too fast". And this was 12:30 at NIGHT!

Personally I would have given that old bat the finger and told her to get away from my car. She's not a cop, and I wouldn't have cared that she didnt like it that I was parked in the fire lane.

[Gerrinson]

I have to say, I do get irked by the people that park in the fire lanes here, particularly the ones that park for 1 1/2 hours while they do laundry. After all, if they parked another 30 feet away in an actual parking spot it would just kill them.

But, we get a lot of tourists who treat the handicapped parking as 'tourist reserved' spaces. So long as you have the proper plate or placard, I won't say anything. But, like the guy a few weeks ago, if you come screaming into the lot in your Audi, take the handicapped spot so you can jog into the store to buy two baskets of groceries...well, don't be surprised if I took the time to flag down the police officer just leaving the lot and pointed you out. Hope you enjoyed that ticket as much as I did!

Still, if your car gets ticketed in a fire lane during any sort of emergency here, it's big bucks. I heard (from store employees who I know) that someone collapsed in the grocery store this past week and there were two cars parked in the fire lane blocking the exit. Despite multiple pages, neither driver moved their vehicle for the ambulance crew. I'm not saying that had any outcome on the patient (who did die ) but how callous and/or self-centered can you be? On the bright side, the responding officer ticketed both cars for $3,000 each. The minimum fine here for blocking a fire lane in an emergency.

To me, the walk across the parking lot is more than worth than $3,000.

[LillFilly]

I'm glad those cars got fined! Finally, justice. I know our firetrucks have the go-ahead to just 'push' cars in the fire lane out of the way in an emergency.

It's always the same excuse. "I was only in there a minute."

[Andara Bledin]

It's always the same when someone wants to do something they know they're not allowed to do:
"Yeah, but I'll only be a minute."
"Yeah, but I just need to run in for one thing."
"Yeah, but I'm too special to follow paltry rules and laws."

^-.-^