Question of the Week: The bane of our existence
May 29, 2007 at 3:29 pm by Curt Holman in Randomly NotedWhat annoys you most about parking your car in Atlanta? For some reason, parking-related irritants fire my rage-a-holic tendencies more than simple “driving”-related ones. Bad traffic strikes me as the generally accepted curse of Atlantans, like hot weather, but if I encounter a parking-related vexation, some individual is usually to blame, through either negligence or active hostility. I have two recent examples:
1) Two weekends ago I took my daughter to Savage Pizza, knowing that she’d enjoy the comic book-related decorations and wall art. (I certainly do.) Directly in front of the restaurant I found a vacant spot, although the parking-related signage seemed deliberately confusing. On the left side of the space was a sign reading, “These spaces reserved for customers of Savage Pizza only,” with arrows pointing unmistakably to the space I was occupying and the one next to me. On the right side, however, the space said, “These spaces for Savage Pizza Delivery Vehicles Only.” I was about to remove my daughter from the back of the car when some guy who worked there said, “Hey, this space is for delivery vehicles.” I pointed and said, “THAT sign says it’s for customers.” He only repeated his assertion with a dismissive, “Whatever, dude,” tone and went back inside.
I was able to find another space and, having promised pizza to my daughter, went ahead and ate at Savage (where the food was yummy, as always). If it had been JUST me, though, my reaction would have been far less restrained. The point is, if Savage doesn’t want customers parking there, they can change the sign that says it’s OK.
2) Last Thursday I went to see True Colors Theatre’s Stick Fly at Theatrical Outfit’s Balzer Theatre. I love the playhouse but hate parking downtown, although there are usually plenty of nearby lots that charge $5, which seems a reasonable fee. I found one with several posted signs that said “$5 parking,” found a space for the car and went to the automatic-attendant machine to pay. I punched in my parking space number and the readout told me that, in fact, the charge was only $4. Great, I save a dollar! I thought, as I fed my $5 bill into the machine and waited for my change. And waited. And continued to wait, until I saw the notice reading “THIS MACHINE DOES NOT GIVE ANY FORM OF CHANGE.”
Now, putting aside the deliberate policy of inconveniencing and short-changing customers (surely parking machine technology need be no more advanced than vending machine policy), the fact that the posted signs said “$5″ and the machine told me “$4,” then withheld the dollar’s difference simply seemed like a gratuitous insult. Could be worse, though: I know someone who spent $10 for a $3 parking space because of a similarly infernal machine.
May 30th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Off-road rage:
1. The closest I’ve been to a fistfight since I was 13 — the pay parking lot next to The Spotted Dog on North Ave. Customers are supposed to pay by putting money in a machine and displaying a receipt on the dashboard of their car.
An obviously intoxicated man was stood by the machine taking people’s money by telling them that he worked for the lot and that the machine was broken.
I ignored him, put my money in the machine, got my receipt, then proceeded to scream at him. As a rule, I avoid confrontation, but something about this man lying to my face set me off.
2. Parking lot pay machines that don’t give change or accept credit/debit cards.
May 30th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
My only off-road rage:
People who never paid the three braincells necessary to learn how to properly park in the first place. One car is meant for one space – parking your car inproperly using two or more spaces is not only frustrating, but thoroughly annoying as well. Your car is not that special!