People Parking on the CURB (Houston: home, to buy, subdivision)

[wintersbone]

the problem is people don't park in their garages anymore. then they ***** and moan about their expensive car getting vandalized in the middle of the night. cry me a river.

[Prey521]

What about someone that's handicap/wheelchair that happens to be taking a stroll through a neighborhood? Should they have to be inconvenienced and possibly put themselves in harms way because someone doesn't want to abide by an HOA/Town ordinance, no matter how "silly" it might seem? If it was like a one time thing during the Holidays or an event, it's not a big deal I would think, but if that's how it always is, then you could call HOA and see if they have an policy regarding that.

[wintersbone]

Originally Posted by Prey521

What about someone that's handicap/wheelchair that happens to be taking a stroll through a neighborhood? Should they have to be inconvenienced and possibly put themselves in harms way because someone doesn't want to abide by an HOA/Town ordinance, no matter how "silly" it might seem? If it was like a one time thing during the Holidays or an event, it's not a big deal I would think, but if that's how it always is, then you could call HOA and see if they have an policy regarding that.

I make it a point to avoid any car with the handicapped thing on the mirror. If they have the handicapped license plate you may as well pull over for 30 minutes to let them get infront of you for awhile.either way they will surely be crappy slow drivers.

[14Bricks]

Yes streets in residential suburban neigborhoods are so dangerous. Because I never see kids in the suburbs playing basketball, riding their bikes, popping firecrackers in the streets.

[de la rosa]

I live outside the loop/inside the beltway and have been ticketed by HPD for doing exactly this. No big deal, I started parking on the street. Lot of people in my neighborhood do it too.

Recently, kids have been coming by in the middle of the night and shooting out the car windows of the cars parked on the street with a bb gun. Cost me $115 to have it replaced. Since then, everyone on the street has taken to blocking the sidewalks again, but with good reason. The kids have come by at least three times in the past two months to shoot out the windows, and nobody has caught them yet. Here's hoping that I don't get a ticket for this again, though I have a feeling it's going to happen any day now. But what can you do? Pay a $25 ticket or buy another $115 window for my car?

Nobody ever comes to our door and asks us to NOT block the sidewalk. People in my neighborhood don't really care about walking around the cars, and kids play in the street all the time. Funnily enough, people DO get testy with you if you park on the street in front of their house. At least our next door neighbors do, anyway.

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by astrohip

I'm somewhat stunned at all the negative replies to this issue. The reason it's a law everywhere* in the US is because it's dangerous. All of this "walk around it" and "this is all you have to complain about" is wrong. Walking around it can put kids and strollers and walkers in the street. And THAT'S illegal in most places. And dangerous to both the walker and the driver.

This isn't a zero-sum game. Complaining about this doesn't mean "you must have nothing to do all day". It's simply wrong, it's illegal, and it should be stopped. Happens once, maybe no big deal. Happens with any regularity, either leave the offender a polite note, and if that doesn't work, call the police. They WILL ticket the vehicle.

* If this isn't a law everywhere, then the percent is 99.999.

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

There is absolutely no question that if the vehicle can't fit in the driveway without block the sidewalk, it belongs on the street. Sidewalks are there for safe, unimpeded passage of pedestrians (including children, who in a suburban area I figured would have been treated more importantly). And if a parked vehicle along the curb makes other vehicles slow down and have to manoeuvre around them, GOOD. Why do people think that wide, clear streets make a safe, livable neighborhood? THEY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SPEED. And then folks complain about speeding traffic. Narrow streets that require drivers to pay attention should be the norm. This is not arguable.

I live in the burbs. I used to live in a community that didn't have sidewalks at all, so guess what - when I walked my dog and had my baby in a stroller - guess where I was?? In the street. And many people parked in the street as well (like what you are wanting this truck to do). It was WAY more dangerous for me to walk my dog and my baby in a stroller in that neighborhood because I had to walk around the vehicles parked in the street, and make sure no one was coming my direction. Several times I was almost run over.

Yes you had to slow down to drive through the neighborhood, but it was also dangerous because there were spots where you couldn't see well around a corner to see if another car was coming your direction or not, and so you just had to guess it was safe to go around yet another car parked in the street.

I moved from that community for those reasons specifically.

So now, in my current community - we have sidewalks. I love them. I find them safe. And yes, periodically there is a vehicle that is parked liked this. Guess what? I walk my a$$ around it. Or if I'm riding my bike or my daughter is riding her bike - she goes around it, or we cross the street where the sidewalk isn't impeded. It's a nonissue.

[trbstang]

It all depends on the OP's neighborhood and if there is a HOA with rules against parking on the sidewalk. I would notify the management company about it if it is a common practice. They will send them a notice about it. The person may just not know about the rules, as many people in HOA neighborhoods don't know, and then they get mad at the evil HOA that is trying to enforce the rules the homeowner agreed to when buying the house.

I know our neighborhood does have rules about blocking sidewalks, and our contract sheriff's deputies will ticket the violators if they see them on their patrols. Now granted, most of the homes in my area have those long driveways that hold 5+ cars, or our neighbors with attached garages actually park in the garage or right up next to it and rarely do I see this happen. If it is the rule that you agreed to (which I bet it is) then let's obey it!

[DSL_PWR]

Originally Posted by trbstang

It all depends on the OP's neighborhood and if there is a HOA with rules against parking on the sidewalk. I would notify the management company about it if it is a common practice. They will send them a notice about it. The person may just not know about the rules, as many people in HOA neighborhoods don't know, and then they get mad at the evil HOA that is trying to enforce the rules the homeowner agreed to when buying the house.

I know our neighborhood does have rules about blocking sidewalks, and our contract sheriff's deputies will ticket the violators if they see them on their patrols. Now granted, most of the homes in my area have those long driveways that hold 5+ cars, or our neighbors with attached garages actually park in the garage or right up next to it and rarely do I see this happen. If it is the rule (which I bet it is) then let's obey it!

There are rules against blocking the sidewalk and parking a vehicle with signage on it in the neighborhood.

[gwarnecke]

I don't really see anything wrong with blocking the sidewalk in quiet suburban areas without a lot of through traffic. Heck, many of these neighborhoods (mine included) don't even have sidewalks, and we get along just fine running/walking our dogs down the street, moving over when cars need to pass.

In closer-in areas where people actually walk in larger numbers, and where through traffic is significant, I'd consider this more of a problem. West University Place has a sensible set of rules to deal with this: you are not allowed to block the sidewalk, unless your driveway is so short that it cannot accommodate one car parked in front of each garage bay without blocking the sidewalk. The only streets where I recall most of the driveways were this short did not allow street parking (too narrow), so this was not an alternative.

All this opposition to cars parked in the street is amusing. Wonder how these folks would handle living in San Francisco, the NE, or Europe, where every residential street has cars all up and down both sides of the road.

[dalparadise]

Originally Posted by trbstang

It all depends on the OP's neighborhood and if there is a HOA with rules against parking on the sidewalk. I would notify the management company about it if it is a common practice. They will send them a notice about it. The person may just not know about the rules, as many people in HOA neighborhoods don't know, and then they get mad at the evil HOA that is trying to enforce the rules the homeowner agreed to when buying the house.

I know our neighborhood does have rules about blocking sidewalks, and our contract sheriff's deputies will ticket the violators if they see them on their patrols. Now granted, most of the homes in my area have those long driveways that hold 5+ cars, or our neighbors with attached garages actually park in the garage or right up next to it and rarely do I see this happen. If it is the rule that you agreed to (which I bet it is) then let's obey it!

Again, it has nothing to do with the HOA. If a sidewalk is present a government entity likely put it there and they have the authority to tell you to stay off of it. Not too difficult to understand. The best the HOA could do is write a letter asking you to move, impose a private fine (only after multiple notices, and within the bylaws you agreed to when buying your house) and eventually take you to court to get an official ruling...as this public right of way is governed not by an HOA, but by a city or county.

You did not "agree to this rule". It is law. You can't be ticketed for violating an HOA ageement, only for violating a law. You can absolutely be cited by a court for violating an HOA agreement, but that is a lengthy process and one that has many hoops to jump through.

Best to simply drive normal vehicles (or none at all) and abide by the law like a civilized person, showing respect for your neighbors.