First, let me say that I am not someone who is always talking about how much they don’t like police. For the most part I am fine with them.
What has been driving me crazy the last several years around town are the ticket cops in those little jeeps who stop in the middle of the road to look at parked cars. I have driven down 14th street and there will be a police officer just stopped there in the middle of the road. Same thing on University Ave, Main St, Park, etc.
I have seen numerous dangerous situations resulting from police stopped in the middle of the road. The situations are not 100% their fault, because some blame must go to the drivers going around them without being careful, but I place most of it on the police.
The lines of cars they are looking at are never that long. Why can’t they just pull over, park the car, and walk a couple hundred feet, instead of creeping along and blocking traffic? It is ridiculous. I realize sitting in a car all day is hard and all, but one day someone is going to get hurt as a result of this (even if it is just me going on a road rage induced tirade).
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Tagged as: Charlottesville, Gripes, Police, Rants
“Why can’t they just pull over, park the car, and walk a couple hundred feet, instead of creeping along and blocking traffic?”
Why don’t you email Tim Longo, the police chief, and ask him? He’s pretty friendly and will probably reply. His email is longo@charlottesville.org
The parking enforcers aren’t cops.
then my apologies to the cville police.
You know, I’ve never seen them block traffic. Sure, you might have to cross a double yellow line to get around them, but it really isn’t the end of the world.
They aren’t patrol officer but aren’t the parking enforcers still part of the police department? I see Community Service officers driving the jeeps all the time.
I guess we have different experiences then, thor, because 90% of the time i see them make absolutely no effort to move over at all.
but it looks like this will go under the category of a personal annoyance that only bothers one person. those are probably the worst kind because there is nothing more fun than to get into groups and complain about things. oh well.
Nah, I know what you mean TMR. It’s the worst, I think, along market street if you’re headed towards the amphitheater end of the mall. They’ll sit there taking up 80% of the lane, and if there’s any traffic coming the other way, all you can do is sit there and wait.
Usually they don’t sit there for too long, but there have been times… I’ve honked at ‘em before, but they don’t appear to mind that a bit.