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Message |
    
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 2909
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 9:31 am: | 
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Why in the helll can't drivers who are dropping off loved ones at the train station all either pull over to the same side of the drop off area, or do the drop off prior to the station? This morning (one of many) YOU COULD NOT DRIVE PAST THE station because so many were in considerately making gridlock. And, it was not just SUVs, btw, but everything from Outbacks, to minivans, to beat sedans, etc. A nice crossection, really.
Fer chrissakes! Get some consideration. Yeah, the jitneys pretty much sit in the official drop off zone, but must you drop off your loved ones EXACTLY in front of the station? Must you sit in the car and rearrange your stuff at that same time? And, what's the deal with just stopping and chatting to your loved one till the train comes?
Kid you not, major inconsideration routinely on this. Usually I try to avoid by going around (I park next to MMS) but Valley was closed today. It's so freakin' rude what they do. ARGH! |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 4143
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 9:40 am: |
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Completely understand your frustration, Cyn. Happens all over the place. Too many people who believe they are the ultimate center of the universe, and are oblivious to the existence of any other person on the face of the earth--as illustrated in the "Drive by Fruiting" thread! |
fabulouswalls
Citizen
Username: Fabulouswalls
Post Number: 97
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 11:04 am: |
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Just hire someone to throw bananas at them. |
Starletta8
Supporter
Username: Starletta8
Post Number: 169
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 11:23 am: |
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As someone with a disability, I often can't get to the disabled spots because there are inconsiderate drivers (and well, the Jitneys) parked in front of them. Especially in the evening rush, the drivers often aren't in their vehicles.
I've missed trains because I can't get to the disabled parking. (Even allowing a reasonable amount of time to get a spot, get to the elevator and get to the platform)
And don't even get me started on the NJ Transit employees taking the disabled parking for official vehicles because there's nothing left during the day. |
fabulouswalls
Citizen
Username: Fabulouswalls
Post Number: 98
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 11:32 am: |
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Starletta8 - You should carry some bananas with you too. |
The Soullful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 2147
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 12:17 pm: |
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I have this frustration most mornings. Here's what they should do. Post a sign at the drop off spot that says:
PLEASE PULL ALL THE WAY UP TO ALLOW ROOM FOR CARS TO PULL UP BEHIND YOU.
Now most people with a whit of consideration and insight would figure that out. |
blackcat
Citizen
Username: Blackcat
Post Number: 650
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 12:28 pm: |
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But that means they would have to have their heads out of their butts to read the sign! |
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 2910
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 12:33 pm: |
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If I called the cops, would they view this as a stupid thing? Is there a law against the gridlock scenario they create?
I know that in the evening, the parking lot on King's side gets nutsy too, the train of cars semi-perma parked waiting to pickup up commuters. I don't experience that one terribly often, but I wish to heck they'd just park and get their little butts out of the car to go greet daddy, mommy or Aunt Esther.
Just seems like what they gain in having one car (but not walking or using the jitnety) creates a mess for everyone else. |
The Soullful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 2148
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 12:43 pm: |
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I can usually get Aunt Esther to walk.... |
mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 632
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 12:49 pm: |
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Cyn,
I don't know about MPD, but I've seen SO police do exactly that.........The SOP frequently hang out in front of the station and prevent people from dropping off there....You're told to go round to the back, and not block traffic in front of the station.
Good for them. I understand your frustration. It's astounding how many people can be so very thoughtless. |
thegoodsgt
Citizen
Username: Thegoodsgt
Post Number: 1008
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 1:11 pm: |
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These are the same people who will wait minutes in a parking lot as someone packs their car and backs out when they could just as well park just 5-10 spots farther away.
Some people are just lazy...or they don't use 100 percent of their brain cells...or they fail to realize that they share this world with several other billion people. |
The Soullful Mr T
Citizen
Username: Howardt
Post Number: 2152
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 1:13 pm: |
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The behavior that always gets me is when someone double parks....next to an empty parking space. Man, this just shouts out..
I'M AS LAZY AS HELL AS WELL AS SELFISH! |
Monster©
Supporter
Username: Monster
Post Number: 3867
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 1:17 pm: |
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call a friend and park on both sides so they can't get to there doors to get into the car, I've done that.
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anotherkittie
Citizen
Username: Anotherkittie
Post Number: 79
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 3:31 pm: |
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This thread could simply be named:
Bozo Drivers
Or, as I like to say, Now I Understand Road Rage |
red
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 6136
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 4:27 pm: |
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It drives me absolutely crazy when you are parked and the drivers BLOCK YOU IN!! It is nuts! They have no concept of anyone else... |
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 2912
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 9:33 pm: |
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Perhaps tomorrow morning I'll make some citizen's arrests. Walk around with a little notepad, invite people to move along and if they don't take down their license plates! That would be sorta fun, and probably get a rise out them! |
fabulouswalls
Citizen
Username: Fabulouswalls
Post Number: 99
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, June 29, 2006 - 10:07 pm: |
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And throw bananas at them? |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1807
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 12:03 am: |
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I would not take down their license plate numbers - that could be construed as a violation of their privacy, and I'm sure that would put you in a highly actionable position (vis a vis civil lawsuits). Unless you're a law enforcement officer, I would strongly suggest that you avoid ANY kind of confrontation where you are seen interacting with these (admittedly inconsiderate) drivers.
I applaud you for wanting to fix this problem, though, so let me suggest an alternate course of action. Why not rent a minivan and smash directly into the rearmost car "in the line" at the train station? If you rent a large enough vehicle AND obtain sufficient velocity (I'm going to suggest at least 40 miles per hour), you should be able to cause a chain reaction that would 'impact' seven or eight cars... a pretty good day's work any way you look at it.
Admittedly we're back to the problem of criminal prosecution again; to be blunt, I don't see any real way around it. I suppose you could steal a minivan or SUV instead of renting one (God knows there's enough of the damned things in town), and then you might be able to effect an escape while the commuters are recovering from the crash: cleaning their spilled double-mocha-espresso-grande-latte off the dashboard, trying to find their cell phones, attending to various cuts, bruises and broken bones... regardless, you should know that you have my full support. No matter the personal consequence, you can take comfort in the fact that there will NEVER be a traffic problem in front of the train station again.
Remember that old man in the midwest who shot the teenager for walking on his lawn? I just visited www.scotts.com and discovered that the town in question has received Scotts' prestigious "Nicest Lawn" award - trust me... NO ONE is walking on lawns in that town for a long, long time. The moral - annoying problems sometimes require radical solutions.
Good luck, and remember - strike fast, and strike with conviction.
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Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 2915
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 6:13 am: |
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Ah, I'm usually too zonked in the morning to do the license plate thing, case, let alone the ramming. I might miss my train!
I have longed to use something like a paint ball gun every since I moved to New Joisey over stuff like the train station, and other vehicular crimes against humanity. Truly, I've never seen so much condensed bad driver behavior as I've seen around here. I think I will call the MPD to see if they're willing to camp out here and there and look at this stuff. It's really bad, and stupid and selfish. Looks like some easy tickets to me.
The bravest I ever get (to my kid's embarrassment) is more or less standing in the road at the cross walk and staring down drivers who wish to play chicken. I do flip them the bird, and occasionally call them selfish jack asces outloud. The occasional workman in a truck finds this funny, but the moms 'n kids in minivan who might like to run me over while they're on their cell phone look appalled at my rudeness. What a bunch of solipsistic schmos. For what it's worth -- and I find this interesting -- it's more like to be ordinary citizens on their really special, hurried way who do this rather than contractors in trucks. |
mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 634
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 7:04 am: |
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"solipsistic schmos" 
I'm going to remember that. It will come in very handy, I'm sure!
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greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8271
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 7:35 am: |
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I just took TS to the train. Dropped her off at the eastern end of the station sidewalk. Literally stopped for about 20 seconds. As I was pulling back out, this idiot pulls up, blocks me in & her hubby proceeds to take his time getting out. Little stretch, reaches in for his briefcase, says something to her, slowly closes the door and starts to saunter to the train. He glances back; she is sitting watching him. I finally hit the horn.
It's a good thing that I don't drive her very often. I'd have plowed into a whole bunch of those solipistic schmos by now. |
Mustt_mustt
Citizen
Username: Mustt_mustt
Post Number: 583
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 7:49 am: |
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Keep writing Greentree. I like your narrative style |
Eponymous
Citizen
Username: Eponymous
Post Number: 206
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 7:57 am: |
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Case,
How on earth could it be violating someone's privacy to write down their quite visible license plate number, which is in fact intended to allow people to identify their car?
IANAL, but reporting illegal activity (along with the license plate number of the offender) is surely perfectly legal. |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1808
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 8:47 am: |
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Swing and a miss. |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3573
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 9:32 am: |
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Re "These are the same people who will wait minutes in a parking lot as someone packs their car and backs out when they could just as well park just 5-10 spots farther away."
I usually do not wait very long for a space, thinking that it would be rude to those behind me. But lately it seems that every time I pass one up with that in mind, that very person behind me stops and waits for the space I could have had. So, it is frustrating on all accounts, even when you try to be nice. (I'm not actually talking about a situation where there is another space 5-10 spots away, I wouldn't even give it a second thought then.)
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Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 2916
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 11:11 am: |
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Oops, they did it again. This morning. And a little old guy in a Maplewood Parking Authority vehicle did manage to pass through. I think his job is really to catch scofflaws with respect to stickers and $3.00 lot parking -- not traffic congestion around the station.
For the curous: The time when this problem seems chiefly to arise is right about 7:30 a.m. The 7:35 or something midtown direct comes, and all the last minute dropped off folks show up right before it, with the cars etc. I breathe a big sigh of relief when that particular train crowd has left the station (being a Hobokener myself). That train seems to breed late runners, the drop off situation and so on. A lot of a.m. anxiety.
Really, the MPD could make a tidy little sum just camping out at the station for a couple of weeks. I'd like to see the cop who often manned one of the crosswalks over to MMS do it. Guy over 40, silver hair, mustache? A little cynical and cranky? Personally, I quite like him and we get along -- and I have a feeling he'd be hell on thes gridlock people. |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1810
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 12:47 pm: |
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I know that guy! You're right, he'd probably get an inordinate amount of pleasure out of the assignment... why don't you ask him about it the next time you see him in town? All he can say is "no". |
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 2917
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 12:52 pm: |
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I've not seen him since school let out. I used to see him every morning. The crossing service was just for school kids, I think. |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1813
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 4:30 pm: |
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If its the guy I'm thinking of, I see him in the village all the time. He's usually carrying a stick with chalk at the end of it - that's to mark tires so he can see who's been parked longer than 1 hour.
Regardless, and all kidding aside, if this is as bad as you say it is (and I do not doubt you), why NOT call the MPD and ask? |
fabulouswalls
Citizen
Username: Fabulouswalls
Post Number: 106
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Friday, June 30, 2006 - 4:39 pm: |
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That is Spencer. He has been around for over a hundred years. He's been there since I was a little kid riding my bicycle to town from Millburn. |
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