Matt Schrader spent a few months talking to people about the street cleaning policy in LA – both the people who are in charge of it and the people effected by it. Turns out you are much more likely to get a ticket then you are to actually have your street swept.

If you get a ticket for parking in a no-parking-because-of-street-sweeping zone, and they don’t ever bother to sweet the street, should that ticket be void?

Spotted in Culver City last night. I really want one of these for some reason…

When is a parking ‘tard not a parking ‘tard?  This Chevy Avalanche was taking up two nice spaces in a West Side supermarket parking lot.  On foot, I snapped this picture before I noticed that the driver was inside.  As a result of seeing me, I think, the driver then started the engine and took off.

So, does that make him a parking ‘tard?  A standing ‘tard?  No ‘tard at all?  If my rudimentary photo software would have allowed me to black out the license plate, I would have done so unless and until a “guilty” verdict was reached.  What do you think?

I had to run out to my vet this afternoon to pick up some medication. I was driving east on Burbank Blvd. (the way this monster of a truck is facing) and attempted to turn right into the partially blocked parking lot. Luckily, I have a small car, but I still had to back out into the street and maneuver to pull in. When I went across the street to take a photo, I saw several other cars have the same difficulty. Except for the Jeep that just drove right over the curb! Maybe this person hates pets. Whatever the case, he’s a jerk.

After the reader submitted Parking Tard a few days ago people have been on the hunt. This fine example was spotted in Santa Monica near 5th and Colorado, 6/4/09, by jeffro:

OH: “I used to drive an Escalade but I could barely get both my doors open in these tiny parking spot pairs. So I sold it and got this sensible Mini Cooper. Now it’s so easy to get my car right down the center line and there’s plenty of room to get the doors open.”

Ok, not really overheard, but you can imagine.

Alternatively: “it was a messy divorce. She got parking space #11 and he got space #12. Still no agreement on who gets the car.”

One of our readers, Geoffrey McStroul sent in that photo and the following story:

Ok, so here’s my parking tard story (photos taken on a Treo 650):
I’m going to Western Bagel this morning (the one in Woodland Hills)
and the area of the parking lot nearest the Western Bagel and the
Coffee Bean mostly has compact spots, and there is this Chevy
Silverado taking up not 2 spots but FOUR spots. Silly me, I didn’t
take the pictures before I went into Western Bagel, but when I came
out I managed to take 2 photos before I was caught and unable to take
the piece de resistance of parking tard photos:

Owner: Can I help you?
Me: Is this your truck?
Owner: Yes.
Me: You’re taking up 4 compact spots.
Owner: Well it is a big truck.
Me: There are other non-compact spots to park in.
Owner: Sorry to ruin your day.

My thoughts after that were that “no, you didn’t ruin my day” and
“you’re going on teh interwebs about to be famous on LA Metblogs”.
(His license plate frame says “Ain’t goin down til the sun comes up”.)

Thanks Geoffrey! Another pic after the jump…

(more…)

This driver not only straddled the line and took up two spaces, the space on the right is clearly marked “10 Minute Customer Parking,” so if (s)he parked for more than 10 minutes, then bing! bing!, they committed a second violation and can move onto our bonus parking ‘tard round. Actually, “‘tard” is an inaccurate and too charitable term for these folks. I suggest we change it to reflect the deliberate awareness of their actions. How about “asshole?” Or “dickhead?” Maybe “PMLALP” (Person who Makes Life in Los Angeles Less Pleasant)? Any other suggestions?

I really don’t even know what to say about this…

Dude, you drove right up and missed the lettering in the painted over walkway for the handicap access that said “no parking”.  You even missed the “no parking” sign on the door right in front of you.  I’m still amazed you did the “no speak english” stuff when I pointed the sign to you.  I guess you were so busy with your phone conversation on your cell you didn’t notice that I HEARD YOU SPEAKING ENGLISH.  Why oh why, when there are 35 other spots in that lot open did you have to park blocking the egress of the sole handicap space in the lot?  

Pic grabbed with the trusty cell cam.  It does get bigger with a click.

This is the best photo I could get of this insane parking job in the strip mall at Glendale and Fletcher, so allow me to explain exactly what you’re looking at. To begin, it’s bad enough that the black SUV in the front is parked over the striped area indicating the end of the parking row and is jutting out into the traffic lane on the left side of the photo. What’s worse, however, is that the genius in the silver compact somehow deduced that there was a corresponding spot behind the SUV that was completely in the traffic lane. The lesson here? They paint lines on the ground for a reason, and if there’s a steady stream of cars backed up behind your parked car angrily honking away, you just parked in the middle of the road.