Free Republic

The city council in Jacksonville, Florida, has taken up a proposal that, if approved, would make it illegal for residents to park their cars in any manner that prevents law enforcement from seeing their rear license plates from the street. For those who live in single-family homes with off-street parking, such a law would make backing into the driveway to park an illegal act. Florida is among a handful of states that don’t require car owners to display license plates at the front of their cars. The proposed local bill would also require people who use car covers to figure...

If you listen closely you can almost hear a collective sigh of relief from 16 year olds across the state.The reason – the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration officially removed parallel parking as a required test element on the driver’s license test on a statewide basis starting today.According to Buel Young, spokesperson for the MVA, the administration determined that completing a two-point turn and backing up are similar enough to parallel parking to eliminate the parking element from the test.“The MVA consistently evaluates its assessments of both the knowledge and skills tests. In analyzing the skills test, it was determined that...

VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. -- With her husband and children watching, a mother viciously beat another woman over a parking spot in Valley Stream, Long Island, and it was all caught on cellphone video. The brawl allegedly started Sunday after a woman tried to park in an empty spot at the Green Acres Mall, but a man was standing in the spot, holding it for someone else. The woman parked in another spot, then got into an argument about what happened. That's when the punches and hair pulling started.

WASHINGTON - D.C.'s delegate to Congress is making news for her parking skills. Video published by Roll Call shows Eleanor Holmes Norton awkwardly trying to wedge her car between two cars parked in angled spaces near the Capitol earlier this week. You could say that didn't go well. The video was shot Wednesday along New Jersey Avenue Southeast, between the Longworth and Cannon House Office buildings, according to Roll Call. Norton, 77, is seen trying to squeeze her silver, four-door sedan in between two other cars that are parked in angled spots. The only problem? Norton is trying to park...

The Group Accusing ‘an American Extremist and Hateful Racist’ of ‘Terrorism’ in Chapel Hill Might Strike You as Ironic…and It Wants to Be Part of Investigation. Feb. 15, 2015 7:35am Sharona Schwartz The Palestinian Authority – which grants monthly salaries to terrorists – has called last week’s deadly shooting of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, N.C. “terrorism” and would like the U.S. government to include Palestinian investigators in the official probe. The Palestinian foreign ministry Saturday described Tuesday’s shooting as a “heinous crime” and “terrorism which targets civilians based on their religion.” “We consider it a serious indication of...

Let's be honest here, the whole driving in a parking lot thing can be a blood-boiling, rage-inducing event. People back out without looking. Jerks swoop in and take the spot you've been waiting for patiently with your blinker on before you get a chance. But the worst of it all is when people park like they own the whole parking lot. Maybe they take up two spaces with the my-car-is-too-awesome-to-be-next-to-anyone-else parking, or maybe they simply didn't park within those yellow lines leaving too little space for you to park. Most of us will curse under our breath and keep moving...

.... two women called 911 to report multiple gunshots and screams...near the University of North Carolina.... ... three people were dead...Muslims of Arab descent... The victims’ families described it as a hate crime. The police said that the shooting appeared to have been motivated by “an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking,”.... In the afternoon, Ripley Rand, the United States attorney for the region, said the shooting appeared to have been “an isolated incident” and “not part of a targeted campaign against Muslims.”

A state representative from Hartford is taking some heat for parking in a handicapped space. An iWitness snapped a photo of the personal car driven by Rep. Brandon McGee with his state-issued license plate parked in the spot at a Dunkin' Donuts on Capitol Avenue, across the street from the State Capitol. The picture was taken Friday. McGee said he issued an apology on his Facebook page. "Thank you for holding me accountable. The other day (Friday to be exact) I made my usual run to D&D and was in a hurry... parked in a handicap parking space... Major no-no....

WILMINGTON, N.C. - An Air Force veteran who served in Kuwait found a note on her car Friday criticizing her for parking in a veterans-only parking spot in Wilmington. Mary Claire Caine told WECT-TV that she returned to her car from shopping at Harris Teeter to find a note plastered to her front window from a person identifying themselves as a "Wounded Vet." It read, "Maybe [you] can't read the sign you parked in front of ... This space is reserved for those who fought for America ... not you. Thanks, Wounded Vet." Caine, who served in Kuwait and on...

In Boston, parking’s been a nightmare for ages, with spaces capped by the federal Clean Air Act and further state regulations. Funny enough, that means MORE air pollution as frustrated drivers circle around the city looking for a place to put the car. So when free-market capitalism and technology ride to the rescue, you might think Boston would be quick to embrace the instant reduction in idling traffic. But if you’ve seen this movie before, you’ve already spotted the error: “free-market capitalism”. THAT’S a bigger no-no than smog!

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco's city attorney issued a cease-and-desist demand Monday to a mobile app called Monkey Parking, which allows people to auction public parking spaces that they're using to other nearby drivers.

"Boulder needs enough parking to support shoppers and workers who drive, but not so much parking that driving remains the easiest way to get around town ... planners are working on this year seeks to connect the city's approach to parking with other city goals, including economic vitality and environmental sustainability." ...

Practical or patronizing? South Korea is spending mega-money on creating larger car parking spaces for women. Capital city Seoul is introducing "lady-friendly" spots reserved exclusively for female drivers, the Korea Times reports. Wider and longer than regular spots, they will be closer to elevators and marked out with pink mini-skirted logos. It's not yet known, however, if men will be fined if busted for using them. Korea Times reports the initiative is part of a nearly $700 million push to make the metropolis more female-friendly over four years. Other projects include installing 7,000 new women-only toilets, and the resurfacing of...

**SNIP** Reporting the figure, WDIV-TV says some of the overdue fines are more than 10 years old and can't be collected. Some individuals owe the city more than $10,000. The city is trying to get payments for some of what's owed. James Canty of Detroit's parking division says the city is putting holds on driver's licenses when they come up for renewal, taking motorists who owe money to court and reporting them to credit agencies.

**SNIP** That's down from the 301 vehicles towed on the first day last year and up from the 215 towed on Dec. 1 in 2011, according to Molly Poppe, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Streets and Sanitation.

A Chicago woman has settled with the city of Chicago after she was left with more than $100,000 in parking fines when her ex-boyfriend abandoned her car in an inaccessible airport parking lot for nearly three years. Jennifer Fitzgerald initially owed the city of Chicago a whopping $105,000 after a 1999 Chevy Monte Carlo – a used car that was bought for $600 and registered in her name – was parked at O’Hare Airport for three years starting in November 2009. It was parked there by Fitzgerald’s ex, According to DNA Info Chicago the city agreed to drop $100,000 in...

A Florida woman is still recovering from the insult at finding a valet ticket that described her as fat. Sharyn Peoples used a valet when she was in Boca Raton in early December to park at a local mall while she appeared at a play but when she picked up her car she found the ticket identifying the driver with the words 'play,' 'red dress' and 'fat.' 'I was mortified,' she told WTVJ. 'In handwriting it said 'play, red dress, and fat' on it.' Peoples said she found the description insulting and shocking and she contacted LAZ Parking of Florida,...

We need more parking in Palo Alto. But residents also want less traffic. This challenge has been with us for a decade. And to solve it, urban planners have tilted toward the less-is-better "new urbanism" philosophy, claiming that if cities provide less parking, the public will find other ways to go shopping, i.e., using public transit. And voila -- fewer cars! Except the problem isn't solved, and there certainly isn't enough public transit to get us from our homes to the stores.

Not that anyone in California would be allowed by law to pollute the environment with such a behemoth of a vehicle, but one garage near AT&T Park in San Francisco was charging "Full Size" SUVs and trucks $130 to park for Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night. Hummers get no breaks, you know? But, if you drive a "compact SUV" or a "Minivan," it'll cost you only a cool hundred. It's 90 bucks for a car the size of a Prius or a '69 Dodge Dart. No word on what it'd cost to stunt park your Bullitt...

PORTLAND -- Residents of some Portland neighborhoods are asking, “Where’s the parking?” when it comes to new high density apartment buildings. There are nearly 20 apartment buildings planned, being built, or already constructed in the past 18 months that do not include parking for tenants. The developments are on the city’s north and east sides. Some neighborhood groups are balking at the buildings, saying parking is already at a premium.