Getting a good parking spot is like winning a prize in some areas.

What happens when someone tries to claim that the parking spot you took is for private use only (when you know it’s not)?

That’s what the lady in this story had to deal with, but she got the last laugh. Check it out.

“Last Chance” indeed, just not the way he imagined

I’ve been taking my kid to this park in downtown <my town> for years.

We always go in the late afternoon which means 2 things: Everything is hot still, and only some parking spots will have shade.

I should also mention my AC is broken and I often bring our dog.

Yes, who wouldn’t?

So, obviously I’m gonna park in a shaded spot if at all possible, and this is a busy park around this time so I may end up passing over several sunny spots in favor of one in the shade.

Funny thing is, all the shaded spots are often full because (gasp) other folks like parking in the shade too.

Thankfully, no matter how busy it is there’s usually one on-curb spot that’s still close and partially shaded, so I often park there.

It is a fully marked spot on the public roadway but it is in front of a house that faces the park.

Oh, the nerve of some people.

Well a couple of weeks ago, I started finding notes on my window claiming the spot is private for that house, and people can’t park there.

I knew the spot was public but emailed the city anyways to verify, and they confirmed it was public right of way and public parking, not reserved for the residence, etc etc, fully covered all my bases.

So, I kept going to the park as per usual, getting a new note every time I parked in that spot.

Last chance? Really?

Finally I got one that read “LAST CHANCE”.

He had also re-parked his car as close to mine as possible in front (to make it harder to leave I guess?), but in the process, also blocked the sidewalk.

So, I took a picture of the letter and of his car parked on the sidewalk, then left.

When I got home, I compiled two emails, one to the city’s public works, and the other to the city PD.

In the first, I detailed how the resident was blocking the sidewalk and not letting people park in the public spots.

In the second email, I explained how the resident was harassing people and touching cars.

Well played.

Finally, I looked up the property in the city’s GIS map – I had a hunch based on the out of state plates that they were renters, and sure enough I was able to find the actual owners of the property, and fired off some messages on social media to them as well.

Today I received a follow-up email from city works that the’re issuing a $30 ticket to the resident for blocking the sidewalk.

The police are going to deliver it to also educate said resident on public parking.

That sounds like a great outcome for an annoying problem.

Let’s see what the people in the comments think about it.

This might be a good solution.

Here is a good point, since they were renters.

This person offered some insights into the laws.

Here is another person wondering if they were just misinformed.

This person wants an update.

Maybe try some face-to-face communication next time.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.