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cars parking on 59th street ALKI

Started 1 year ago by compassion
Latest reply from yeah-me

compassion
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My family and I have recently made a resolution to take the bus number 56 instead of driving into the city. In light of the oil spill we feel it is a proactive way to do our part. I park the car legally and close to the bus stop so when my daughter picks up the car in the evening she can drive it home instead of walking alone in the dark. Our car is decent although not as nice as some of the home owners in this area, I have never left the car for more than a day and never parked it illegally. I have lived here for many years. The area is not heavily populated by parked cars so I know it isn't a space issue. This morning I returned to find a police notice on our car saying a neighbor complained about the car being parked in this public space for over 72 hours which was not true. Although we have been parking on the street several times a week. Other friends in the neighborhood have told me they get left rude notes on their cars as well, when they are only parking a few blocks from home. Is there an issue in this area with people living in their cars, or abandoning their cars, or do some neighbors have a misplaced sense of entitlement? In the many years that I have lived here I have never felt more disappointed. I hope this can ease any paranoia about our car and I encourage you to get out and meet your neighbors, we just had a great beach clean up. We will no longer park anywhere near our own street sense it seems the police need to be involved.

Posted 1 year ago #
Carson
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Move your car every few days and take pictures to show you moved it. The police will quickly learn to ignore the complainer when they find out you are in compliance. Simple and easy in todays digital age. Just move it a foot and show that in your pictures.

Posted 1 year ago #
Franci
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Unfortunately there are folks in West Seattle who seem to think they own the street parking. Several years ago when I wasn't well enought to walk up a steep hill, I used to park at the bottom of Othello just east of Fauntleroy. Only during the day, for 8 - 10 hours. The owner of the home I was parked in front of came out and threatened me and my car with bodily harm if I parked there again! I think that was when I started driving to work when I worked downtown. I just didn't have it me to deal with this guy at that point in my life.

Posted 1 year ago #
todd_
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I never understood people who think they own the curb parking in front of their house! Amazing but not surprising I guess.

As far as people calling the parking enforcement etc, my opinion is that people do it in general because they care about their block/neighborhood. True, they could be mistaken or have entitlement issues but I have seen parking enforcement drive by the same broken down cars day after day but they wont put a sticker on it or give the owner a citation unless someone first calls it in. As far as abandoned vehicles/72 hour law, parking enforcement is reactive to citizen complaints. If people don't care about their neighborhood and don't make the call, the odds are nothing will happen.

Someone "dropping a dime" on Compassion for parking for a day is not cool.

I guess I just wanted to say that from my experience, the onus is on the citizen, don't wait for the city to care about your block, as far as cars, anyway.

Posted 1 year ago #
Carson
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Again, if you are in the right, CYA (cover your behind). I walk Carson around the 'hood from time to time and see some vehicles that have been parked for years, let alone weeks or months. I guess no one in the area complains so they just stay there. You have every right to park where you want, for up to 72 hours at a time. Don't ever let anyone intimidate you, THAT would be a far worse offense in my book than the parking violation.

Posted 1 year ago #
Sue
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One thing I'd suggest is that you make sure you are not parked in front of the same house each day. I used to have to park at the train station in NJ on the street on a virtually empty street, and every day I'd park in an entirely different spot so nobody could accuse me of abandoning my car there or "always" parking my car in front of their house.

Posted 1 year ago #
metrognome
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sounds as if someone in that block has designated him/herself as the hall monitor for real or imagined infractions. I assume there was a phone number on the notice left by parking enforcement -- did you call it and explain the situation? If not, you should; if they get other calls, they may follow up with the person who is filing the false complaints. The suggestion about taking photos is a good one; include a few where the car is parked at home, etc. to prove it wasn't in the same place for 72+ hrs. The other option is to park near the next closest bus stop or to park on an arterial rather than a residential street.

Posted 1 year ago #
yeah-me
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Sue, that is a great suggestion.

I don't live in that part of WS..I actually live somewhat near the Junction... and I send in an abandoned car complaint anytime a car stays over 72 hours. I am amazed how often people park their cars and leave them. I watched one woman drive up in her truck, get out and sweep the bed out (trash and all) onto the street, lock up her truck and walk off. She came back about a week later -- and yes, I had complained and there was a sticker on her truck.

It is true that the streets are public and home owners don't own them, but no one wants someone using the front of their house as a park and ride every day.

We have an active block watch on our street -- and over 15 children under 10 -- we are not a good pick for a street to leave an unknown car parked on for very long.

Posted 1 year ago #
cathyw
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Hmmmm.....59th between Admiral and Alki?....Near Whale's Tail Park? Across the street from Alki Elementary and its play area, the Community Center, and the Playfield? And a block away from Alki Beach? It surprises me that parking space doesn't seem to be an issue there. Maybe it isn't early in the morning, but later during the day may be a different story. If I'm not mistaken, parking is only allowed on the west side of 59th for that entire stretch of street, meaning the number of parking spaces is already cut in half. Since you are not there during the day, you may not know that the area fills up pretty fast with lots of school buses, the cars of parents dropping off and picking up their kids, sports teams using the field and beach walkers. The surrounding residential streets are even worse. Usually they are so congested that only one car can get by at a time. Often there is no parking available there at all. "Compassion," you are probably correct, legal and justified in your parking choices. But I bet those neighbors and others who use that street could use a little bit of understanding and compassion themselves. Please also consider that it may not have even been a neighbor who called. It may have been someone else who parks in that area regularly, saw your car during the day and just assumed it was parked there overnight. The neighbors, on the other hand, would probably notice that the car was moved and gone in the evening. I don't live down there, but it doesn't surprise me that people might be sensitive about the issue. There's room for you too there if you use a slightly different strategy. Good idea to vary where you park every day.

Posted 1 year ago #
WSHusky
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I totally agree with the "Park-n-Ride" comment: This area is extremely busy with all the park & school activities. We live up above this area and have struggled to find parking even in the winter months to use the park & school with young children. I can empathize with the neighbors living in that area.....then to add "park-n-ride" style parking....all day!

Posted 1 year ago #
WSHusky
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As the neighors shouldn't get the police involved on false accusations - wrong. I do feel it's selfish and narrow minded to park-n-ride in front of someones house - un-neighborly in my opinion. Find a bona fide park-n-ride, which will allow you to be more environmentally conscious and neighborly.

Posted 1 year ago #
JayDee
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WSHusky:

Please point out the location of a bona fide P&R in the West Seattle area. Because I am pretty sure that there isn't one (especially near the 56 bus line.). Parking can be a zero-sum game at Alki, and the tragedy of the commons means that some people will lose.
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I park and ride on local streets because I am habitually late. I park on a major street that isn't as crowded as lower Alki. Do I feel bad for doing so? A little -- I change where I park depending on how close I am to missing the bus to spread the love. But these folks have two streets to park on, including the main drag so I don't fret it too much.
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And arguing that it is more environmentally conscious to do so is specious reasoning--should I drive to Kent to find an official P&R lot? Or Tukwila? Cars are a fact of life and I give Compassion kudos for taking the bus for the majority of the trip. This will make their car last longer and cut the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing a new one.
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So carry on Compassion--CYA but don't worry, be happy and stress free riding the bus.

Posted 1 year ago #
ejones
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WSHusky, I hope I'm misunderstanding what you are saying. Are you trying to say it's ok for a citizen to make false statements to police because people park in front of their home, on a public street?

Posted 1 year ago #
ejones
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@JayDee Under the West Seattle bridge there is a park and ride, and the 56 does stop there.

Posted 1 year ago #
JayDee
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I stand corrected. And if I get on under the bridge, I will stand. ;-)

Posted 1 year ago #
compassion
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I understand that parking in front of a home although not illegal is selfish. I would go so far to say if you have a double garage save room on the street for others. We were not parking in front of a home or the school. We live here and truly understand beach traffic school traffic etc. Great suggestion on the park and ride under the bridge but I am not comfortable having my daughter there at night either, not yet. I certainly weighed all of the possibilities and I think that it is an issue of thinking the car does not belong to someone who lives on the street. At least when I look at it like this it is easier for me to just let it go. It is not illegal, but it makes people nervous to share the area around the home. Growing up in Chicago and Brooklyn we knew all of our neighbors because it wasn't always safe. Here it is safe and nobody knows the neighbors. maybe we should move up to your area in the junction sounds like its more our speed. Thanks for sharing the scope neighbors

Posted 1 year ago #
ejones
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Compassion, I only mentioned the park and ride because someone asked, and I too am often running late so I park there to catch my bus. I am actually one of your neighbors, only a few blocks away. It's not an area I'd recommend to anyone who's not hyper-vigilant about their surroundings or worried about car break-ins. (I've had a car broken into under there and empty out all valuables before I leave it there.) The park and ride is far enough away that it would partially defeat your purpose of limiting your environmental impact.

People in West Seattle sometimes seem to have an (unreasonable) expectation of always being able to park in front of their home. If you can't handle sometimes having to walk a block or two then you shouldn't be living in a home/apartment without off street parking.

Posted 1 year ago #
yeah-me
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I really think the best advice is to vary where you park. My street gets a ton of parkers as I am one house from the corner and the home owner doesnt park in front of his house; and we are one block off California. When someone parks in front of his or my house for the day, I usually notice, but rarely care. But if the same car parks there day after day after day ... I care and I really don't like it .. and eventually call it in.
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It is as simple as parking across the street even...or half a block away. When the same car is in front of your house day after day, the home owners are going to notice and get annoyed.

Posted 1 year ago #