I’m not really a vigilante. Life’s too short, and the police can generally handle this stuff on their own. But I’m hurty and limpy and had to walk super far on Thayer tonight because some jerk ignored a very visible motorcycle-only parking sign, and this has happened several times (the cars-in-motorcycle-spot parking, not the limping) so far this summer. So here is my Wall of Shame entry that Beth sort of said I could maybe do sometime, in a totally different context. Whoever you are, anonymous driver, please consider this a very public “Read the sign next time, Jerky McJerk!”
Exhibit A: The sign designating motorcycle parking only from 6 p.m.-12 a.m.
Exhibit B: Juxtaposition of sign with Highlander, 7 p.m.
(Note: I originally included a close-up of the license plate of Mr. or Ms. Highlander Driver, but I really didn’t feel good about that and deleted it.)
We like cruising to Thayer because we can have a beer, eat something good, and admire the group of bikes that arrive on the given night (if any).
I see people driving hot rods, kids with their music cranked, and people playin instruments on the sidewalk, how are bikes more obnoxious?
The reason skaters were banned and not bikes is because skaters don’t belong weaving through traffic and they certainly don’t belong on busy sidewalks. Go to a skatepark.
As far as the bike parking goes, there’s plenty of room on both sides of that highlander. If you get a couple bikes down there block them in, that way they need to ask you to move or can give you a nice insurance claim. 😉
they allow the motorcyclists? they booted the skateboarders about 8-10 years ago! WTF?!
I might consider that when I’m not hurty and haven’t already limped a whole block past the officers.
If Thayer street (the location in question) were metered parking, then I would understand and support MC only spots there. However, that is not the case on Thayer St or in the area of Thayer St, so the reasoning regarding the taking of an “entire car spot” does not apply. I still do not see the need for MC only spaces in this specific area.
Downtown is a different issue entirely and I would fully support a dedicated MC parking system that keeps bikes safe and maximizes the limited parking currently available for all.
Annie, did you point out to the officers that the car was parked in a ‘motorcycle parking only’ spot? Perhaps that would have spurred them to issue a ticket.
And to Jones’ comment above who doesn’t understand why MC Only parking is necessary…do you want one bike to take up an entire car spot? How about downtown where I need to pay for my spot? Where am I supposed to stick the receipt? How about smaller bikes (read: scooters) that are easy to steal without locking to something solid, or easily moved by ignorant cagers? There is a real need in Providence for dedicated motorized two-wheel vehicle parking.
Oh, Emily, I was too busy whining to be clear! Longer explanation than you probably wanted: After the motorcycle-only parking time began, both of our fave spots, which each house 3-4 motorcycles, were taken up by a single vehicle (one pickup, one SUV). So yeah, we and maybe some other riders had to had to continue to another street and walk further than planned. It happens often and I sucked it up, thinking the cars would be gone when we passed that way again. Yet nearly an hour later, that same SUV was still there, still without a parking ticket (despite two PPD cruisers chatting side-by-side right down the street), and that’s when I took photos. I get that special parking for two-wheel motorized vehicles isn’t near and dear to everyone’s hearts, and it’s not something I would have demanded, either. But I don’t believe that non-bikes can hog those spots and police can look the other way just because motorcycles are unpopular—that’s not how our laws should work. If the motorcycle-only signs won’t be enforced, then they should be taken down and another solution explored by the merchants/city/police.
Fair enough, though, that there are other things to worry about in general.
I would totally Side Blog pics of my injuries if I did have a run-in with that Highlander ; )
Annie,
I’m not sure what you’re getting at. Did you have to walk far away from your bike?
Let’s be honest, inconsiderate parking jobs are rather the least of all vehicular problems. Worry about the moving Mr. and Mrs. Highlanders.
From what I remember from a few conversations and a few blurbs in the papers, the spots were secured when the Thayer area business owners were worried the obnoxious straight-pipe riders were bothering their customers. So they worked with the city to come up with a solution that banned motorcycle parking outright from certain spots and allowed it in other sections during certain hours (but only enough room to fit a certain number of bikes…Remember a few years ago when a whole block would be nothing but a line of 30 Harleys some nights?). Maybe it was so the riders couldn’t claim discrimination against their type of vehicle, that the ban had to include reserved parking as well? I honestly don’t know. Perhaps a Thayer business owner or someone from the city who reads the Daily Dose can help? Anyone?
i don’t ride, so maybe i’m missing something, but why are there “motorcycle only” parking spots at all?
isn’t part of the benefits of riding a cycle or scooter the ability to park in spaces too small for cars? i see this all the time.
why the preferential policy for motorcycles in an area that’s a pain in the ass to park for everybody?
enlighten me please
Cheers to you Annie for posting pix and license plates of the offenders…I ride a scooter and am always frustrated when I hit upon Thayer Street to park in the motorcycle parking and some jackwad who is lazy, stupid and ugly has parked their equally ugly vehicle there. Did I say I hate people?
Oh come on, the bikers are the only likable thing about Thayer Street anyway.
I think it’s some sort of preening, male dominance/potential mating ritual. We don’t love the stares and big, bad boy displays either, but it’s been easy enough to ignore. I like that in conjunction with a few motorcycle-only spots during certain times on Thayer, there are also NO motorcycle EVER spots.
I’m a motorcyclist, and it irritates me that Thayer St. is now a legally sanctioned hangout. I’m sure the businesses appreciate the move otherwise it wouldn’t have happened, but I don’t like the crowds of harley dudes and sport bike squids who stand posing with their bikes and staring at passers by. Maybe I missed the part of the RI motorcycling handbook that covers that part of ownership, I was having too much fun riding mine.
Wow, that’s awful! Those straight-piped bikes can be effin’ obnoxious, but I haven’t heard of anyone actually avoiding this fun street just because of the noise. What a shame.
So many people have stopped going to Thayer street BECAUSE of the motorcycles that I’m surprised you had a problem.
love