Sunday, November 10, 2024

Another Day, Another Rumpushole

As Commissioner of the Backroads Rumpushole Elimination Department, striving to seek out and ban rumpusholes from society, Val submits the following pictorial evidence:


For any closet rumpusholes who might be scratching their head, wondering what is wrong with this, let me answer for you: THAT IS NOT A PARKING SPACE!!!

I see no signage, nor stripeage, designating this location as a parking space for scooters. The back wheel is on the sidewalk, where I limp along to get to the front door of Country Mart if I have to park in one of the handicap spaces farther down. 

Did this scooter obstruct my path on Thursday, when I did my shopping? No. I had the first handicap space. This picture is taken from T-Hoe's window after I had loaded my groceries and was preparing to leave. I heard the sound of a motor. Finished writing down my total in the checkbook register. Put on my seatbelt. Looked around to make sure nothing was behind me. That's when I saw that some rumpushole had parked a scooter beside the STOP sign.

Wouldn't it have been terrible if, upon backing out, T-Hoe's left front bumper hit that scooter? You know, because I could see the brick pillar, and the STOP sign. But not that scooter, which is lower than T-Hoe's hood, giving me poor visibility. I might not even have noticed a metallic rattle, because T-Hoe needs some kind of work on his stabilizer thingy on the front end. I could have driven off, oblivious to a broken scooter lying beside a STOP sign. Perhaps the returning scooter-rider might have recognized The Universe's clue to STOP parking in non-parking spaces. Nah. Probably not.

We can't have rumpusholes parking wherever they want! What's next, a line of scooters parked between those white hash marks next to the handicap spaces??? Or maybe they won't even park, but will ride their scooters inside, grabbing items all willy-nilly from the shelves, before waving their debit card at a register on the way out.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Val, I was just wondering, how fast do you think that scooter goes? It looks like it'd be fun to drive it. It's not as big or heavy as a motorcycle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know nothing about scooters or motorcycles, except that they have two wheels! I'm going to GUESS this scooter would go 75 mph. Just because to be roadworthy, it should go at least 55 mph.

      Delete
  2. rumpusholes??Would you ride one? How good is your insurance?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would not ride one, because other drivers are so reckless in driving over the center line, and running red lights. My insurance is great, but it is not a force-field to keep other drivers from hitting me.

      Delete
  3. Oh No, that would have been a real shame if the bumper had caught that little thing and bent it a lot. A real shame.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree that's not a parking spot, but the scooter looks new and small, so maybe the owner thought it would be protected there by the pole holding the stop sign and the concrete support behind. A small scooter in a regualr parking space isn't easily seen when cars are on either side, so someone could turn in to what appears to be an enpty space and flatten the poor little scooter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, he could have parked his special scooter all the way at the end of the parking lot, where nobody else wants to park. Rather than right up front by the door.

      OR he could start a petition to get a law on the ballot for special parking spaces for people who have new small vehicles.

      Having the money to buy a cute new small scooter does not excuse anybody from obeying the law. If he's so worried that it will be damaged, then buy a regular vehicle, not a little scooter!

      Delete
  5. As you stated, the scooter is on area where you walk. If it caused you to fall, it does not matter why the person parked it there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. It is parked on a portion of the sidewalk, and on the striped lines that mean NO PARKING, which extend along the front and side of the store.

      I do not want to walk on the ROAD as I go behind the parked handicap cars to get to the sidewalk. The road slants, and is not good for my hobbling, throwing off my balance. Nor do I want to add more distance to my walk, by going in front of the parked handicap cars to get on an actual sidewalk that comes around to the side of the building.

      Handicapped people shouldn't have to change their walking route just because somebody's cute little scooter MIGHT get scratched or dented. People on the beeper carts drive through that space, too. So this forces them out into the road, or the longer way around on the sidewalk.

      Delete