I was leaving for work this morning and noticed parking citations on 5 cars parked on the street facing the wrong direction on Silver Street between 8th and 3rd.
I had been out walking the dogs from abot 0800 to 0830. The tickets were there when I left for the office at 0915. This is the first time I have seen this in 10+ years. I remember someone on Pearl that used to call the JSO every time someone parked facing the wrong direction. She once did this while a open house was going on across the street from her.
but when it's enforced selectively and rarely, when it happens it just pisses people off.
After living in the UK for several years I learned the hard way to remember to park facing the right direction so there is no chace for me to get pissed off.
This is a good thing, if it happens consistently. I hate when people park the wrong way, its kinda dangerous. Some folks are too lazy to make a u-turn. lol
maybe they can enforce the rv's that have become permanent fixtures on boulevard and the tractor trailers starting a new truck stop at the old tire store that idle all night.
Quote from: danno on October 29, 2009, 11:02:39 AM
After living in the UK for several years I learned the hard way to remember to park facing the right direction so there is no chace for me to get pissed off.
I don't know if it's remembering to face the right direction, it's just a convenience thing. As others have said, if they ramp enforcement up to a 90% citation rate, great job, but until then it's just annoying when you get caught. In Gainesville it was kind of a russian roulette type scenario, but your chances of getting caught were about 55%. In jax it's really a non-issue. I have never been ticketed once, and I'm definitely a serious offender. ;)
I'm all for it!! I've had a few near head on collisions heading north on Market St by cars pulling into traffic from the wrong side of the street. I wish they would enforce more strictly. The problem is also pretty bad on east 7th.
Gainesville was hit or miss but you knew it wasn't ok to do it and doing so could be costly.
Seriously, is it that hard to park correctly? Hope the ticketing keeps up, nobody's laziness is more important than stopping dangerous parking conditions from happening.
You can also report people who do not have a tag on their car. By law, every vehicle, within sight from the street must have a current tag AND registration.
Still not a fan of the way Brinks employees park on 2nd street.
Have they started ticketing the 50 mph speeders on Liberty and Walnut? What about ticketing folks who don't understand how to use the round-a-bouts?
yeah and ticketing people who park in the alley's and block them and park large passenger vans and buses all along the street!
Ten years ago, there weren't that many cars to park on the streets of Springfield ;D
Quote from: sheclown on October 29, 2009, 11:39:46 AM
Ten years ago, there weren't that many cars to park on the streets of Springfield ;D
This is true! I remember in one day counting 135 construction dumpsters where we now have occupied houses. Its definitely turned the corner.
Maybe SPAR can have a driver's training class before you can move into the neighborhood?
Quote from: Sigma on October 29, 2009, 11:36:35 AM
Have they started ticketing the 50 mph speeders on Liberty and Walnut? What about ticketing folks who don't understand how to use the round-a-bouts?
OMG!!...why cant people figure out how to use the round-a-bouts?? its so irratating, i miss the stop signs.
Riverside has had the same old man cop ticketing for wrong direction for 10 years or more.I warn all new residents.
We have a LARGE problem with cars lining both sides of the street (think Forbes) and Ironically the driveway will be empty. I listened to one jerk say he was sick of moving his car so his wife could get out...Whaaa! :'(
Our other big problem is cars blocking the sidewalks...THEY should be warned or fined.
On another note,If you are meter parked.. watch for cops putting chalk marks on your tires and coming back after the meter has run out. It's not illegal to erase the tire mark when you go out to "Feed the Meter". It tells them if you have left and come back.
I must agree that people should park facing the correct direction. Every single day I come home from work, turn left into the alley and back out to pull into my parking spot in front of my house. It is just plain lazy to do otherwise.
And don't even get me started on the roundabouts... just because you are on Pearl or Laura does not give you the right of way! :)
I've not seen any JSO issuing tickets for the clowns who use Liberty and Walnut as their expressway. I see JSO zipping along way to fast on those streets as well.
As for the tickets for illegally parking the wrong way...it's about time....and as someone mentioned earlier, it's pure laziness and nothing more. I don't know why it's only Silver, could be that someone's complaint was finally heard by the right officer, or maybe there's a new officer patrolling that section and issued tickets.
I would love to see JSO start ticketing the idiots that constantly park in the alleyway, as if it's their person driveway...or the ones that pull up onto the sidewalk and block that.
It's about darned time ! But like others have said it needs to be consistently applied in order for people to really change their behavior. Sometimes when I round the corner from 10th onto Laura, there are about 3 cars parked on the "No Parking" side of the street, a couple parked the wrong way, and another few on the sidewalk. It's gotten so bad I just laugh now.
There was a piece on roundabouts on Sunday Morning 2 weeks ago. Although they are annoying they seem to reduce accidents. Apparently the very fact that they are annoying causes drivers to pay attention. In truth, although I've heard a lot of complaints about them I have yet to hear of a single accident at one. Which I can't say for the stop sign at 7th & Market that drivers routinely blow through and get t-boned.
Quote from: Sigma on October 29, 2009, 11:36:35 AMWhat about ticketing folks who don't understand how to use the round-a-bouts?
Hey, Leave Cindi Alone!
Thanks Dan, I just lost my iced tea onto the keyboard :o
QuoteThere was a piece on roundabouts on Sunday Morning 2 weeks ago. Although they are annoying they seem to reduce accidents. Apparently the very fact that they are annoying causes drivers to pay attention. In truth, although I've heard a lot of complaints about them I have yet to hear of a single accident at one. Which I can't say for the stop sign at 7th & Market that drivers routinely blow through and get t-boned.
Its not the round-a-bouts that annoy me, just the drivers who don't know how to use them.
Quote from: Dan B on October 29, 2009, 12:55:20 PM
Quote from: Sigma on October 29, 2009, 11:36:35 AMWhat about ticketing folks who don't understand how to use the round-a-bouts?
Hey, Leave Cindi Alone!
LOL, Dan remembers my roundabout phobia. I will drive 50 miles out of my way to avoid those durn things. I purposely don't shop at the little store on the corner because of my fear of the roundabout (walking or driving). Don't get me wrong, I DO know how to use a REAL roundabout (ie. Boston) but geeze, these here just scare the stink out of me.
So now we know who took out the crape myrtle at Laura and 7th! :D
LOL, nope actually quite the contrary - remember - 50 miles out of my way to NOT use them. that kinda scary ranks right up there with the mathews bridge when it was still grated. YIKES!
:D ;D I think you've created a new phobia!
I go out of my way to aviod them as well. It's not me it's the other drivers.
Wimps! If you guys think those little roundabouts are scary, you should try the traffic circles in Europe. Four lanes, a circle fifty yards across with six side roads coming into it and everybody at top speed changing lanes to get off at their preferred street. And in England they do it backward!
I got stuck on one in Paris and went around three times before getting up enough nerve to cut across the lanes and get off. Then I had to go back to the hotel and change.
It's the closest thing to trading Paint "Nascar Style" that we have in Jax! I LOVE the look of terror on peoples faces as I continue on Park St through the 5-Points intersection. There are actually people at Hovan and the Diner that WATCH rush hour at the Point (I'm not kidding!) I'll have a beer and a T-bone please...Or maybe a cider and a rear ender :-\
Quote from: Dog Walker on October 29, 2009, 03:07:02 PM
Wimps! If you guys think those little roundabouts are scary, you should try the traffic circles in Europe. Four lanes, a circle fifty yards across with six side roads coming into it and everybody at top speed changing lanes to get off at their preferred street. And in England they do it backward!
I got stuck on one in Paris and went around three times before getting up enough nerve to cut across the lanes and get off. Then I had to go back to the hotel and change.
I am a fan of the roundabout. I miss them. Even the motorway junctions have them both on and off. We were over not long ago and it all fell back into place, even in England where the do it backwards.
Can't wait to see one in front of the Landing!
The one constant about traffic, roads and parking is that somebody will always complain about it.
Roundabouts are good for drifting around the intersection. Gets you lot of attention. I used to love them back in my sports car early 20s years.
Quote from: Dog Walker on October 29, 2009, 03:07:02 PM
Wimps! If you guys think those little roundabouts are scary, you should try the traffic circles in Europe. Four lanes, a circle fifty yards across with six side roads coming into it and everybody at top speed changing lanes to get off at their preferred street. And in England they do it backward!
I got stuck on one in Paris and went around three times before getting up enough nerve to cut across the lanes and get off. Then I had to go back to the hotel and change.
real roundabouts are a different story - those are a test of skill. the springfield roundabouts, they make as much sense as a football bat.
Quote from: cindireal roundabouts are a different story - those are a test of skill. the springfield roundabouts, they make as much sense as a football bat.
Couldn't agree more...plus you have the bozos that park in the marked-no parking sections of it, which make it difficult to get by, especially the buses. People seem to forget that roundabouts, to yield, instead the ones traveling on the north-south directions just barrel through like they have the right of way
Aren't their yield signs on all the cross streets?
yeah, but they don't adhere to them....it's risky and the people traveling east-west usually end up stopping
A yield sign is the equivalent of a Yellow light, in Jacksonville - "FLOOR IT AND HOPE NO ONE HITS YOU".
Ok, so I'll ask the clarification question, as I learned to drive in another state. In these littler roundabouts, with yield signs from all 4 directions, how is priority determined? Is it:
1. Yield to the vehicular traffic coming from the left, as is the normal functioning of the larger traffic circles, or;
2. Yield to the car that has approached the circle first, as a 4-way stop would be treated?
I always approach SPR's little traffic circles in the first manner, but I often find drivers there -- coming from the direction to the right of me usually -- that are approaching in the second manner, or with some entirely different method (Pearl and Laura have right of way?)
So which is it?
I thought the vehicular rules were that you always yield to your right...
QuoteI thought the vehicular rules were that you always yield to your right...
But isn't it the car coming from the left that would hit you if you pulled into the circle "in front" of it? The car to the right would already be "in front" of you going through the circle, correct?
My expectation is not that clarification will fix the SPR traffic circle danger, but have always wondered. That's 3 approaches possible -- anyone got a fourth?
If these were real circles then you would yield to the cars on your left.
But these are intersections with little islands in it. So to be really safe you almost have to treat it like a 4-way stop. More often than not the cars heading north-south do not stop at all.
At the 5 points intersection,Park St has the right-of-way and you don't need to stop unless some bozo cuts you off.
Quote from: Southbanker on October 30, 2009, 09:18:33 AM
If these were real circles then you would yield to the cars on your left.
But these are intersections with little islands in it. So to be really safe you almost have to treat it like a 4-way stop. More often than not the cars heading north-south do not stop at all.
Where I grew up, the rule was always that Rotary traffic has right of way, of course the ones I grew up driving on were big enough to have dozens of cars on them at a time, so right of way mattered. For our little round-abouts, the rule is, first car to the intersection has right of way.
Sadly, nobody knows this. :-/
The driver to the left should yield to the driver on the right....
QuoteYou must yield the right-of-way to all other traffic and pedestrians at stop signs. Move forward only when the road is clear. At four-way stops, the first vehicle to stop should move forward first. If two vehicles reach the intersection at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
Roundabouts are a new type of intersection which improve traffic flow and reduce traffic crashes. Most roundabouts do not require stopping, which allows vehicles to move continuously through intersections at the same low speed. Roundabouts are designed to move all traffic through a counterclockwise direction. Vehicles approaching the roundabout yield to circulating traffic, however, drivers must obey all signs to determine the correct right-of-way in the roundabout.
http://www.123driving.com/flhandbook/flhb-right-of-way.shtml (http://www.123driving.com/flhandbook/flhb-right-of-way.shtml)
QuoteThe driver to the left should yield to the driver on the right....
Quote
You must yield the right-of-way to all other traffic and pedestrians at stop signs. Move forward only when the road is clear. At four-way stops, the first vehicle to stop should move forward first. If two vehicles reach the intersection at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
Roundabouts are a new type of intersection which improve traffic flow and reduce traffic crashes. Most roundabouts do not require stopping, which allows vehicles to move continuously through intersections at the same low speed. Roundabouts are designed to move all traffic through a counterclockwise direction. Vehicles approaching the roundabout yield to circulating traffic, however, drivers must obey all signs to determine the correct right-of-way in the roundabout.
Isn't this the important statement in this quoted material (b/c we're talking about roundabouts and not 4-way stops)? If it is, seems you would yield to circulating traffic, or traffic coming from left? This may be on the books, but since very few seem to know/follow, I guess safest approach is as if it is a 4-way stop (tho people that stop at a yield when the yielding situation doesn't warrant it drive me batty ;-).
First in wins! Nothing else matters!
OK, then common sense says....avoid bending up that fender and look out for the other guy...
Exactly Strider! I was first to enter from W side of roundabout making a left turn and realized that dumba$$ in very big car coming from S had no plans to slow down and allow me my right of way. So I stopped mid-round and gave them only enough room to get through. They flipped me off I presume for taking up so much space.
And BTW, I heard people on Perry also received tickets for wrong-way parking.
are the glow worms the ones giving the tickets?
Glow worms??? :)
Oh, and there is a car parked in the alley between Pearl and Silver either south or north of 6th. That needs a ticket too, yes?
Glow worms are the bright neon colored shirts that the Community Officers wear. Don't know Cindi, did not see anyone. Was only informed of the incident.
Yes JaxUnicorn, blocking an alley should also receive a ticket.
Saw a glo worm driving slowly down Silver yesterday morning.
Quote from: Captain Zissou on October 29, 2009, 11:11:57 AM
Quote from: danno on October 29, 2009, 11:02:39 AM
After living in the UK for several years I learned the hard way to remember to park facing the right direction so there is no chace for me to get pissed off.
I don't know if it's remembering to face the right direction, it's just a convenience thing. As others have said, if they ramp enforcement up to a 90% citation rate, great job, but until then it's just annoying when you get caught. In Gainesville it was kind of a russian roulette type scenario, but your chances of getting caught were about 55%. In jax it's really a non-issue. I have never been ticketed once, and I'm definitely a serious offender. ;)
Gainesville is ridiculous, I got towed a dozen times while I was in undergrad. If I never had to see that seedy Elite Towing lot again, it'll be too soon. Everybody, even the city, has contracts with these towing companies who drive around constantly looking for 'victims'.
The worst was my own apartment complex, they gave out parking passes that had these suction cups you were supposed to put on your windshield. If you left your car in the sun, they'd fall down and you'd get towed.
After literally the 5th or 6th time (at $85 apiece) that I got towed because of it and the towing company and Colonial Village each told me to pound sand and that it was my fault, I went into the office with a copy of the small claims suit I was about to file against Colonial Properties Trust and they finally paid me back. Shortly after that we got permanent stickers.
Then around UF, you have red, green, yellow, orange, etc., passes that allow you to park in certain zones you have to familiarize yourself with. Downtown, GPD will ticket you for dumb$h!t like having your tire on the white line in a parking spot. I'd say Gainesville is a living breathing example of what any city DOESN'T want when it comes to parking enforcement. It's a nightmare.
Quote from: nvrenuf on October 30, 2009, 10:03:32 PM
Exactly Strider! I was first to enter from W side of roundabout making a left turn and realized that dumba$$ in very big car coming from S had no plans to slow down and allow me my right of way. So I stopped mid-round and gave them only enough room to get through. They flipped me off I presume for taking up so much space.
;D
Quote from: zoo on October 30, 2009, 11:24:01 AM
QuoteVehicles approaching the roundabout yield to circulating traffic, however, drivers must obey all signs to determine the correct right-of-way in the roundabout.
If it is, seems you would yield to circulating traffic, or traffic coming from left? This may be on the books, but since very few seem to know/follow, I guess safest approach is as if it is a 4-way stop (tho people that stop at a yield when the yielding situation doesn't warrant it drive me batty ;-).
In the roundabout "yield to circulating traffic, or traffic coming from left" is the same as circulating traffic comes from the left (of course assuming a yield sign on all 4 entries into the roundabout). The real problem here is that people driving cars don't know the traffic rules. That needs to change.
And how is this roundabout discussion related to "Parking Enforcement in Springfield" anyway ? Anyone care about thread topics any more ? Are there no rules for this forum ? Where are the moderators ? Or is this just a big free for all. All topics in any thread, hijack at will. Why even bother with topics any more. Let's just have one thread and discuss everything there. Sooner or later it all ends up with SPAR, rooming houses, demolitions, etc anyway. This is getting sooooo annyoing.
well, although, not strictly speaking, roundabouts are a general "traffic" issue and although not specifically parking the spirit of the thread has been maintained. and until your little outburst it has been a refreshingly SPAR, rooming house, demo free conversation. but thanks for ruining 4 pages of that.
Sorry, not really fun at all...
Danno, can you please modify the thread title to include roundabouts? It will be less stressful for some and it will somehow guarantee that the discussion gets back to parking enforcement.