I Had To Laugh! Twice! (With An Important PSA!)

Yesterday, two days after HUDseen's article about the unregistered, uninspected, unticketed yellow car with the nearly deflated rear tire that had been parked unmoved on North 6th Street at Prospect for at least 6 weeks, the adorable car was gone.  It was nowhere in sight; not even a trace remained.  It had moved on, either on its own or with help from a tow truck. That was my first laugh. (I would pay $20 to know who at HPD was involved in getting the yellow car removed, how much time they spent on the task, and, perhaps most important, how often they are sure to read HUDseen!*)

My second laugh took place this morning when I noticed that our dear mayor's car** was occupying the yellow car's semi-permanent former parking space.  Prior to Friday and since early July, no one -- including myself or the mayor -- could park their car in that space.  It's a public space again!  Hooray for Hudson!

The truly funny thing to me is that 6th Street resident and Hudson mayor Joe Ferris had nothing to do with getting that yellow car to finally move out (or be moved out). 

By the way, black and other dark vehicles are the work of the devil!  Yellow and white (to name a few colors) -- good!  Black and grey -- not good at all!  Some research has revealed that black vehicles are the most dangerous on the road.  At least one study found that you are 12% (daytime) to 47% (nighttime) more likely to be involved in a crash if you drive a black vehicle.  Dark-colored vehicles (including grey) should be banned from all U.S. streets, highways, alleys, and showrooms!  No vehicle manufacturers should be allowed to sell them; no one should be able to buy one.  They should be phased out of existence.  Period!

Public Service Announcement:  If you are desperate for a place to park your car or commercial box truck for a few day, weeks, or months without fear of being ticketed or towed, just find a space on the west side of North 6th between State and Washington and leave it there.  Unless someone steals it or a car or truck slams into it, your car will be there for you when you return. As long as there isn't a snow emergency (or some other emergency requiring parked cars to move), your car will be ignored by HPD night and day.  No parking rule; no problem!  And the best part, perhaps, is that the mayor won't mind, either!  There is also no overnight parking rule on either side of Prospect Avenue from Rossman to Warren (two sides to choose from!), in the block where DPW Superintendent Rob Perry has lived for at least 25 years.  However, I do not suggest taking my advice if your vehicle is unregistered, has any tires that cannot keep air, is leaking oil, or otherwise appears abandoned!  If your car appears to be abandoned when parked, get rid of it and find a new one or a bicycle!

*  If HPD was involved in the removal of the yellow car without the assistance of a tow truck, what did Parking Captain David Miller tell the owner over the phone?  "Can you please move your car out of the public parking space on 6th?  While your unregistered and uninspected car hasn't been illegally parked for the past several weeks and never will be, it's not a good look for the city anymore, particularly across the street from the Pocketbook Hotel business complex and the mayor's house.  We've gotten some bad press about your car, so we're pleading with you to help us out by parking it elsewhere.  Pretty please?"

** This is the same black car that can be seen Monday thru Friday regularly occupying the mayor's designated parking space in the City Hall parking lot.  Ferris also happens to be neighbor of mine, so we regularly vie for spaces on 6th to park in overnight that we know we will never be ticketed for.  Hell, Ferris can leave his car there for weeks or months and never be ticketed or towed, same as the cute little yellow car.  The mayor cares as little as Rob Perry and Parking Captain David Miller do that DPW is never able to properly sweep or plow the west side of 6th from State to Washington (or Prospect Avenue from Rossman to Warren).  It's a thing!  It's always been this way!  And it always will be!