‘No Parking’ means ‘No Parking’: Urgent alert from SDOT’s Avalon project team

The photo is from SDOT‘s Avalon project team, with this urgent alert:

Last week we placed “no parking signs” up along SW Avalon Way but this morning we noticed many cars were still parked along the west side of SW and a few still parked along the east side of SW Avalon Way. Unfortunately, we will need to tow cars that are parked within the work zone if they are not moved before noon today so we can begin our work.

As we reported again Friday with this in-depth preview, work on the year-long repaving/rechannelization is starting today.

26 Replies to "'No Parking' means 'No Parking': Urgent alert from SDOT's Avalon project team"

  • Jim P. April 15, 2019 (12:06 pm)

    Many people with cars regard “No Parking” signs as a joke due to arrogance or “I’ll just be here a minute, so it’s OK” attitudes.  They do that with handicapped spots too.it isn’t helped that many such signs have the dates and time written with a seven year old ballpoint pen that never worked right from the start on a filthy surface Indiana Jones could not decipher.  Time and date need to be legible, bold and easily seen.

    • ST April 15, 2019 (6:12 pm)

      The permit 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper is what people need to go by. This has the actual dates and times as well as a permit number, etc.. I agree it needs to be bigger to be seen. The black grease pencil they use on the sign could have old dates. 

    • Seventh Son April 15, 2019 (6:13 pm)

      The sign looks pretty legible in this instance, but you’re right about people conveniently ignoring ‘No Parking’ and ‘Handicapped Parking Only’ signs. Just over the weekend, I saw a vehicle parked diagonally across a handicapped spot at Westwood Target, taking up part of a regular spot on one side and part of the handicapped walkway shared with the next handicapped spot on the other side. No hang tag permit and no handicapped license plate. As I left the store, a young woman with two children walked up and got into the vehicle. She didn’t appear handicapped, but I hope she is and just forgot to display her permit; otherwise, that’s a terrible example to set for her children.

      • Mike April 16, 2019 (5:16 am)

        I’ve seen these signs with the wrong month on them regularly, mostly because they never erased the prior use of it.  When you park, take a photo of these signs with your car parked where it is and fight SDOT on it.  The only way they’ll do their job right is if you have it documented over and over.  The city only responds and reacts when things are documented putting them liable for their actions.

  • ST April 15, 2019 (12:45 pm)

    Perhaps a result of entitled attitudes, ignorance, and a history of lax parking enforcement. Whether I am on a walk or driving, I see dozens of illegal vehicles and or parking on the streets of West Seattle with no tickets on the windshields. “Give people and inch and they will take a yard.”

  • A-Red April 15, 2019 (1:27 pm)

    What makes you think the owners of these cars will be able to read this blog post?

    • WSB April 15, 2019 (1:59 pm)

      What makes who think that? Us? Can’t ever guarantee who will and won’t see anything but we have a large readership so you never know. SDOT sent the info and we published it (tweeted it too). They also sent it on their project email list and they had various employees out in the project zone (we went through a short time later). Not that any of that was obligatory, since the signs were up days in advance, but they made a good-faith effort. – TR

      • A-Red April 15, 2019 (9:19 pm)

        Sorry, bad attempt at a joke. Didn’t mean to imply they might not see this post, rather that these vehicle owners simply can’t read.

  • Also John April 15, 2019 (2:42 pm)

    Those vehicles need to be ticketed and towed.  All expenses paid by the vehicle owner.How can you miss those signs?

    • The King April 15, 2019 (10:21 pm)

      While I don’t agree with what the people are doing parking in front of those signs, the city has been sending mixed signals with selective law enforcement for years now. Near my employment there are RV’s that haven’t moved for months, when their toilet is full out comes the rubber hose extension to dump it on the street. It covers both lanes usually and is about 14 feet across. The smell is unbearable when the wind blows from the south into the shop. This is a mild example of what goes on in the Sodo district. 

  • KBear April 15, 2019 (3:09 pm)

    I don’t think anyone missed the signs. I think the first 2 commenters are correct: People have gotten used to being allowed to park illegally in Seattle, and no one expected enforcement today. 

  • warren trout April 15, 2019 (3:13 pm)

    Entitlement 

  • Maria April 15, 2019 (3:56 pm)

    They are parked so far from the curb perhaps so they can open the passenger-side doors without hitting the signs.  So yeah, they know the signs are there.  If not, then they are bad parkers in so many ways.

  • Rumbles April 15, 2019 (4:45 pm)

    I’m surprised they don’t have their hazard flashers on.  It seems using them makes you exempt from all parking laws.  I’ve seen people stop mid-block and turn just them on, it’s pathetic. As to the legibility of the signs, it would appear from the photos that it’s readable.  If you can’t read them, you could always err on the side of caution and park somewhere else.  Or — get towed   

    • CAM April 15, 2019 (7:31 pm)

      Or you park, get out and read the sign and then move your car when you discover it isn’t a legal parking spot. 

  • Rick April 15, 2019 (5:24 pm)

    The new West Seattle.

  • D April 15, 2019 (5:51 pm)

    Dear SDOT:we cant read your faded signs, so please mark the time and date clearly instead of listing it on soggy papers in tiny print.

    • sw April 15, 2019 (8:34 pm)

      You can’t read it?  I can clearly read it in the photo.

      • Brickhouse April 16, 2019 (7:33 am)

        @SW, you must had been a good child and ate your carrots because from this photo I can’t read what it says.  

  • aa April 15, 2019 (6:49 pm)

    Two yrs ago there was construction on my residential street and a portion of our block had those signs restricting parking.  I agree that the information was hard to read and some of the signs had no information at all, and when the job was done and everyone was gone,  the signs were still there!  In summation, like many situations there are a number of issues involved. It’s not just entitled people or the ‘new west seattle,.

  • Kevin April 15, 2019 (8:22 pm)

    Many people use the street for their personal vehicle storage with complete disregard for the 72 hour rule. Tow them. 

    • Swede. April 15, 2019 (9:52 pm)

      Ut’s not like SPD is on top of enforcing that much if you don’t report it. They don’t enforce the parking against traffic at all even though that’s actually unsafe vs. 72 hours which is mostly an annoyance. Which makes it kinda hard to know which laws they ignore and which they do care about…

  • Matt April 16, 2019 (7:52 am)

    So tired of the leinancy given to people who don’t want to follow the rules.  Why warn them?  The sign is the warning, tow em with no questions asked!

  • Losing faith in WS April 16, 2019 (12:24 pm)

    This is parking in West Seattle now:  driving and see a spot across the street.  pull a U-turn in front of traffic and attempt to park a big vehicle in a small space.   see a better spot across the street, cross over all lanes of traffic and park facing against traffic, failing to see the sign facing the other way that says no parking.  Fun!

  • BJG April 17, 2019 (8:06 am)

    A guy who parked in front of the permanent NO PARKING signs on our street whined, “There’s nowhere else to park!”  Guess the attitude prevails.  The last illegal parker to get towed from there threatened to shoot the first poor neighbors he saw, then came back to harass them next day.  Scary guy.  Parking anywhere seems to be okay with some. 

Sorry, comment time is over.