I wish I could drive on Spring Avenue without going through the gauntlet of parked cars - some of which seem strategically parked just before the crest of a hill. Approaching the crest, it is blind luck another car is not coming from the other direction also driving in the middle of the road in order to avoid the cars parked (with a stunning amount of clueless) on the hill.

Oh, I HATE that! I take Spring sometimes as a shortcut to get to Newton Park from my place....my only saving grace is that I turn down May to avoid said gauntlet, lol.

Even worse....when you're on the hill waiting for the light to change green....in the middle of winter on a sheet of ice....and the idiot behind you is RIGHT on your bumper!

same with Kenilworth, Bryant, Taylor... Even Hill sometimes with the damn lawnmover people and movers.

Yeah, I've dodged the moving and delivery trucks on Bryant and Taylor a few times, too....not overly pleasant.

For years I have thought how logical it would be to limit parking to only one side of the street!

I don't think it matters since, according to the officer who answered my vehicle call-in last night, there is a five hour parking limit at all times on all village streets, unless otherwise posted.

Did anyone know this? I've lived here going on 6 years and never knew about that before....

We do this on purpose, so you'll actually drive carefully and not speed down the street; it's not a highway you know.

And guess what - people actually live on the crest of the hill, hence the parked cars. That's pretty obnoxious to think that guests should be expected to park further away from the home they are visiting to allow you to speed down the street.

Speeding, for me at least, is not the issue. The issue is going around a car parked on the crest of the hill puts me in the middle of the road. Another car coming the other way, also going around a parked car puts that car also in the middle of the street. Surely you see the problem here......

Toss in the common occurrence of two cars parked on the same crest on opposite sides and it is like driving through the underpass.

Have your guests park in the driveway.

Learn how to drive. If you think that street is unsafe, don't drive it.

Amen, Drogo! This situation has been bothering me for years, and it's getting worse every day, especially with that house being worked on right at the top of said hill. I live very close to Spring and drive it to 53 probably 3 or 4 times a day. Just as you describe, it doesn't matter how slowly and carefully you approach the hill- once you're in the middle trying to go around one of the parked cars or trucks, you hold your breath and pray that some idiot isn't going to crash into you doing the same thing on the other side.

I guess the weird thing is that the only section of the street where everyone seems to run out first thing in the morning to stick their cars by the curb is RIGHT ON THE HILL! Why is that? Mamattorney would you be so kind as to enlighten us? And I know it's not "guests" parking there because it's the same cars, day after day.

Cars may be able to zig-zag between other cars parked stupidly on opposite sides of a street, but fire engines can not.

I do believe that fire engines are authorized to push cars out of their way. Compare, if you will, their bumpers to yours.

I am reminded of the scene in Hitchhiker's Guide:

"Some factual information for you,“ [said bulldozer operator Mr. Prosser to Arthur Dent]. ”Have you any idea how much damage that bulldozer would suffer if I just let it roll straight over you?“

"How much?" said Arthur.

"None at all," said Mr. Prosser.

I'll be happy to explain, though I'm not sure why I have to offer an explanation as no one is doing anything inappropriate. There are multiple reasons for cars parked at the top of the hill on a daily basis, particularly in the morning.

First, you will notice that 5 out of the 6 houses surrounding the "crest of the hill" have detatched garages and, as a result, single lane driveways (well, one has a attached garage, but still a single lane). If a car parks on the drive, no other car can leave.

Second, several of the houses have more cars than garage space - either more than two drivers and more than two cars, or two cars with a one car garage. None have larger than two car garages and two have one car garages, so mornings result in car shuffling and cars being placed on the street.

Third, two of the houses have childcare providers who come in the mornings. Due to the driveway constraints (parents can't leave if sitter parks on the drive), they park on the street -- in the morning.

This summer, there are also a lot of work trucks around, and they too arrive early in the morning.

Ted, to address your concern, the police will come and request that cars be moved if there is a safety concern. We once hosted a family party and an officer came by requesting that certain cars be moved to ensure safe passage by emergency vehicles. We've never had the issue again.

Finally, I would just like to say that I have lived on Spring for 6 years and I have NEVER witnessed or even heard of an accident, so the situation can't be that dangerous, and Drogo, maybe you don't speed, but people go flying down the road like it's an extension of 53. It is a residential street with a lot of small children and if parked cars make the traffic slow down, I'm all for it.

Just to have Mama Attorney's back - everything she says is true. Also, dang it, some of us have teenagers who have friends who have cars who are home for the summer. And none of us have driveways wide enough or long enough for the cars to park in it.

Spring is a street just like Grandview or May to our west, and Cumnor and Roslyn to our east. It's a residential street, not a highway. Leave early so you don't have to fly down it, mmkay?

(And most of us were living here long before they put a stop light at the intersection of Rt. 53, so we're not so happy that you all are using our street as a thoroughfare, either. But we do recognize your right to do so.)

Those of us who live at the crest of the hill cringe every time we have to park our cars on it, because we know people drive too fast and can't see over it, but we have no alternative. Sometimes we have to park on the street or have visitors do so. The problem with Spring is there aren't many little side streets leading off of it where people could more safely park. It's just one long road where people have the temerity to live.

Don't get me started on those Elliott Construction trucks that treat it like their own personal Autobahn....

So what I'm getting out of this is that the main problem is speeders on Spring. Even for those of us going around the parked cars, if people weren't flying through, we wouldn't have to be as concerned about getting hit because there'd be enough time to stop beforehand.

For the record: I'd be using Spring to get to Newton Park and the rec center regardless of whether or not the light was there.

Also for the record: Most side streets that connect "major" roads have the problem with speeders and other bad drivers. Yesterday morning I was heading down Briar toward Roosevelt (as my street connects to Briar and I needed to get on the expy) and a lovely reddish minivan almost hit me straight on at about 30mph. I have NO idea what the person was doing, there was PLENTY of space on either side of the street (even WITH parked cars there)....and this genius decided it was a good idea to drive in the middle of the street and play chicken with me. Not the best option, but even my almost 10-year old yelled out the window asking the guy what was wrong with him!

What I find interesting is the posted speed limits on residential streets is 30. Too me that's typically too fast. In other nearby towns residential streets have a posted speed limit of 25.

quote:

Originally posted by southge:
What I find interesting is the posted speed limits on residential streets is 30. Too me that's typically too fast. In other nearby towns residential streets have a posted speed limit of 25.

Phil? Listen to your constituents. They are right! You'd have to be doing at least 40 mph's before any self respecting copper would pull you over for speeding, and this on 12 foot wide, car-lined residential streets.