azekologi
Well-known member
Ok, this one really frosts my bait...
From the few that I've shared my thoughts with only the boat owners really 'get it'; the non-owners understand my frustration, but don't really 'get the big picture'.
I often frequent our local 'urban' lake as it's only 10min from the house and big enough to really have some fun with the kid, family, etc. The downside (if you desire to look at it as such) is that it's a very large, mixed-use area (bicycling, skating, walking, playgrounds, picnic-ing, etc., etc.) which leads to people who don't understand all that's involved with 'boating culture'.
The parking area is quit ample, with some close parking (single vehicles, no trailers) near the staging area/ramp/docks (15 spaces or so), and a large lot a little further away (100-150 yards) for single vehicles (about 100 spaces) and vehicles with trailers (another 50 or so).
About 80% of the time we take the boat down to the lake I see a bunch of yahoos parking their Mini Coopers (or any passenger vehicle sans trailer really) in the 40' vehicle-trailer parking! [-X EVEN WHEN CLOSER SINGLE SPOTS ARE OPEN! REALLY!?! :evil: WHAT ARE THEY THINKING!?! #-o
I've been meaning to chat up the Park Ranger or Local Police when I see them down there to bring up my point, but haven't run into them since. They seem to overlook this problem and I'm sure (scratch that, POSITIVE), if I was to park my vehicle/trailer across 4-5 closer, single spots :twisted: I'd be ticketed without the Ranger/Officer thinking twice. (Hmm, double standard anyone?) [BTW, this is CITY PROPERTY, not private property).
I know that this is minor problem that is just one boaters thorn (er, hook) in his side, but really, are people that oblivious? It's hard enough for me to maneuver my rig/trailer around without dealing with this BS too!
What I don't get is that our city (state too) has A LOT of budget problems (AZ is closing highway rest stops and state parks due to budget shortfalls) yet this seems to be an overlooked opportunity to right a wrong by way of a warning, if not make money by ticketing these yahoos.
I've asked my buddy who's a DPS detective, and he agrees that I should bring it up to the local enforcement. He mentioned that since it's city property, the police have full right to issue tickets. As he used to be city cop, he cited it up to a) them not really seeing it as a problem when open spaces exist, or b) just being too lazy to write a ticket when they could drink a cup of joe and put away donuts like they're going out of style (his words, not mine :wink: ).
Does anyone else have this problem at their local watering hole? Or am I just an overly-particular, rule-following boater?
From the few that I've shared my thoughts with only the boat owners really 'get it'; the non-owners understand my frustration, but don't really 'get the big picture'.
I often frequent our local 'urban' lake as it's only 10min from the house and big enough to really have some fun with the kid, family, etc. The downside (if you desire to look at it as such) is that it's a very large, mixed-use area (bicycling, skating, walking, playgrounds, picnic-ing, etc., etc.) which leads to people who don't understand all that's involved with 'boating culture'.
The parking area is quit ample, with some close parking (single vehicles, no trailers) near the staging area/ramp/docks (15 spaces or so), and a large lot a little further away (100-150 yards) for single vehicles (about 100 spaces) and vehicles with trailers (another 50 or so).
About 80% of the time we take the boat down to the lake I see a bunch of yahoos parking their Mini Coopers (or any passenger vehicle sans trailer really) in the 40' vehicle-trailer parking! [-X EVEN WHEN CLOSER SINGLE SPOTS ARE OPEN! REALLY!?! :evil: WHAT ARE THEY THINKING!?! #-o
I've been meaning to chat up the Park Ranger or Local Police when I see them down there to bring up my point, but haven't run into them since. They seem to overlook this problem and I'm sure (scratch that, POSITIVE), if I was to park my vehicle/trailer across 4-5 closer, single spots :twisted: I'd be ticketed without the Ranger/Officer thinking twice. (Hmm, double standard anyone?) [BTW, this is CITY PROPERTY, not private property).
I know that this is minor problem that is just one boaters thorn (er, hook) in his side, but really, are people that oblivious? It's hard enough for me to maneuver my rig/trailer around without dealing with this BS too!
What I don't get is that our city (state too) has A LOT of budget problems (AZ is closing highway rest stops and state parks due to budget shortfalls) yet this seems to be an overlooked opportunity to right a wrong by way of a warning, if not make money by ticketing these yahoos.
I've asked my buddy who's a DPS detective, and he agrees that I should bring it up to the local enforcement. He mentioned that since it's city property, the police have full right to issue tickets. As he used to be city cop, he cited it up to a) them not really seeing it as a problem when open spaces exist, or b) just being too lazy to write a ticket when they could drink a cup of joe and put away donuts like they're going out of style (his words, not mine :wink: ).
Does anyone else have this problem at their local watering hole? Or am I just an overly-particular, rule-following boater?