Saturday, January 17, 2009

Blue Cars . . .




















I believe that Just Jon should not only entertain it should also educate.  For that reason Loyal Readers I will now impart some knowledge from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

When parking on the streets of San Francisco, if there is more than a 3 % grade you must turn your wheels.  This will prevent the vehicle from rolling down the hill accidentally.

After receiving a parking citation last year for not turning my wheels on what I considered a "flat" street, I now make a conscious effort to crank those wheels whenever I park.  

Now being that I only drive the car about once a month my ability to operate the motor vehicle is apparently diminishing. 

When I arrived at my car today I noticed a parking citation on the windshield.  I truly could not think of what I had done wrong to deserve this unwelcome recognition from the DPT (Department of Parking and Traffic.)  There was no street cleaning, I was not in the "red," my parking sticker was visible.  So what could it be?

"Hill Parking /Over 3% Grade"

What?  My wheels are totally turned!  I am so going to fight this ticket.  

And then I read the fine print.  "Wheels Wrong Way!"

It might as well have said "Wheels Wrong Way You Moron!"

Yes Loyal Readers, I had remembered to turn my wheels, I just turned them the wrong way!  I felt really dumb in that moment.

So let this be a lesson to you.  If your vehicle is facing down hill, turn your wheels into the curb.  If your vehicle is facing up hill, turn your wheels away from the curb.  

The Song Of The Day - Counting Blue Cars by Dishwalla

8 comments:

  1. you get an lol and an omg for that one. wow is it ever hard to park a car in san francisco. way too much to have to check and know.
    love mom

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  2. Down and in, up and out....sounds like instructions to a pitcher on how to handle a good hitter.


    Dad

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  3. somthing as simple as that could get you a ticket...wow!

    meg

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  4. Another way to remember, for the future - "up, up and away". I don't have a saying for the down and near. If you remember "up, up and away," you'll remember it's the opposite when you're facing downhill.

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  5. Erin -

    Your sister e-mailed me that same tip. Great minds think alike...or come from the same gene pool. =)

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  6. Dear Jon's mom- you're quite the hip mom, using 'lol' & 'omg'...can't imagine my mom ever saying those words :)

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  7. well thank you very much for noticing, dear anonymous. i am quite hip, or hippy anyways.
    jon's mom

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  8. just jon,
    i am not happy today as i received my own parking ticket. to make it more confusing, they have street cleaning every 2nd & 4th friday of every month. and every 1st & 3rd thursday of each month. its almost like they do this just to confuse you so that you don't move you car, and get a ticket!
    - angry citizen of SF

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