No Parking Signs: the Ignored, the Faked, and the Compliant
No Parking signs can be a good way to keep roads clear — but only if they’re used correctly. Below are examples of things you should and shouldn’t do when installing or passing by No Parking signs. Don’t, for example, ignore them. Don’t install private signs that impersonate official signs. And, if you must, a little bit of personality goes a long way.
A real No Parking Sign
No Parking signs are frequently ignored by passing drivers. Just ask Birget Sesterhenn, whose flower shop on Florida’s Holmes Beach is rather frequently rather annoyingly, obstructed by patrons of the bars and restaurants next door. Other store-owners in the area agree; one says, “I feel bad for Birgit… [Drivers] totally ignore her [no parking] sign.”
Holmes Beach, Florida
To be fair, though, beachfront No Parking signs have a history of being faked. The California Coastal Commission, for example, has the unenviable task of determining which signs are privately installed, and which are government regulation. Notes the LA Times, “wealthy homeowners have gone to lengths to block visitors from the majestic shoreline with security guards and locked gates.”
On the other hand, one courthouse in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, has found a way of keeping its parking spaces clear. It displays this message to the riffraff: “Don’t even THINK of parking here. You will get a ticket and be towed. What if someone else were here & YOU wanted to mail a letter.” Yes, quite.
Have more unfortunate sign stories or sightings to share? Tell us more in the comments section.
– R. Fogel
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Category: Funny, No Parking, Regulations