Houses With Fire Hydrants In Front.

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The owners tend to become the enforcers of the no parking rule, calling the authorities to get the car ticketed. They become pretty zealous at it. This morning I had to pick up a cheque and pulled up at a fire hydrant because there were no other spots. As soon as I got out the lady owner points out that I am not supposed to park there. I had no desire to explain to her that it was going to be less than a minute, so I ignored her and walked up the road two houses to pick up my cheque. This infuriated her and she shouted "F-- you" after me. I picked up my cheque from the mailbox where it had been left for me and got back to my truck in less than a minute.

If someone parks at a fire hydrant, by all means call the parking authorities to get the car ticketed but why not wait a few minutes to see if the car stays there? Was there any need for the owner to be that aggressive?
 
Well you made be a little upset too if someone seemed not to give a F if your house burned down. We had some construction going on here for a couple of years and the contractors used to park their equipment in front of the hydrant and go off to lunch. Contractors think the own the world and you just rent from them.
 
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I think I saw this episode on Days of Our Oil Lives.
smile.gif
 
You're disrespecting the 100s of people who passed on that reserved spot and walked farther. If that hydrant weren't there, someone else would have been, and you'd have had to park 100s of feet away like you would have legally, anyway.

Would it have been acceptable for you to double-park for "just a minute"? No, because it would impede traffic. You still impede fire department operations, a small chance, but with big consequences.

The flaw with breaking the law (and I'm not chewing you personally out on it, editorial "you") is you give up control over how people react. 95% will be "cool" but the other 5% can pursue it with authorities, call you names, whatever.
 
In your case, it seemed like she just wanted to rage at someone, and you presented as an easy target because you parked in front of the hydrant. However, you ignoring her didn't help as it made you appear to be just the kind of entitled jerk she expected you to be, thus fueling her anger at you.
 
I would yell at you too. No parking means no parking...not even for a second. It's a huge issue around here at stores, so many morons don't understand what the painted lines mean. And it's OK to park anywhere if you put your flashers on. I don't understand what is wrong with these people.

Not that it matters much to the fire department. They won't hesitate to bust out your windows and lay a hose through your car in 3 seconds. They will do this even if you are standing there with the key in your hand.
 
Boy this reminds me of so many other threads that eventually get locked. Maybe the last one was where the guy stopped in the middle of the road for no discernible reason to the people behind him and thought that they were the crazy ones for not going around him.

Basically she yelled at the OP so he wouldn't do it again. Same reason I honk at clueless drivers. The pros that are good or super aggressive I don't bother because it's not going to stop them.
 
The biggest offenders of parking at hydrants in NYC are the POLICE....they pull up to the hydrant because it's an 'open spot' when they have to make a 'house call'....It's also very common to see cars parked on the hydrant near police precincts. I have also seen off duty police officers park their private cars at hydrants in the neighborhood where they live....they put their PBA card on the dashboard like it matters.
If the Fire Dept. gives them a summons...it can start a summons war where the Firehouse is a target...
 
Hydrants don’t matter until a fire happens and then thankfully car /violator is open season by fire department.

Out of of our workplace we watched a car get boxed in by fire truck who noticed car who waited 15 mins for police to arrive /ticket while owner just sat in shame.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04



I've seen that posted on the internet various places sort of as a joke...but it'a actually not uncommon for this to happen and firefighters train for it.

Wonder what the insurance would say?
 
Funny the excuses people make up for breaking the law. Well it was only for a minute.
 
What's so hard about not parking in front of a hydrant, for a second, minute, one minute and 3 seconds, or whatever "short" period you justify to yourself is acceptable ?

Guy blows through a stop sign, and gets pulled over.
Explains to the cop that he slowed right down.
Cop starts beating hims furiously with a baton.
Guy yells Stop-Stop
Cop slows down his beatings.
 
Had one in front of a house I lived in for a while. I was clueless and didn't even realize it was a hydrant. Parked there for a year or more then one day got a ticket. Whoops. Paid it and quit parking there. I was guilty of occasionally leaving a car there while shifting things around. So what? I knew I shouldn't and wouldn't be shocked if I got a ticket. A neighbor yelling at me would be funny.
 
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Originally Posted By: 2strokeNorthstar
So what?


So what? All the law abiding citizens who do not park there but could benefit from doing so, that is what. It's not much different than parking in a disabled spot without a permit. "There is a bunch open, and I'll only be a minute" doesn't make it OK.

It's kind of like when I see somebody driving around with expired tags. It really makes me mad. If I paid for mine, you need to pay for yours. If I don't park in spaces that are not supposed to be parked in, you shouldn't either. Just because it may be in front of your house means nothing, it's not yours, nor is it meant exclusively for your use during a fire. You do not own the hydrant or the space on the street.
 
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