Don't worry about the government. Okay, worry a little.

[captainsblog]

One of the semi-spiritual concepts that Eleanor and I have both written on here (she as recently as last week) is grace. Hard to define fully, but we know it when we experience it, inbound or outbound. One of the uniquely Methodist spins on it is the idea of "prevenient grace," a Wesleyan predecessor of The Force, that's always there and always available, yours to draw on merely for the asking, but only if you ask. The flip side, of course, is that it can be refused, and that's what I experienced a touch of while traveling this morning.

I had to be in court in Rochester at 9:30, and while I left plenty early enough, parking is a bit of a bear there right now, mainly because of a major construction project near the state courthouse to reinforce, and in other places fill in, the original Erie Canal bed that passed through the city at the turn of the last century. I circled the block, came out in front of the downtown arena, and finally found a spot within a block of the courthouse door. The meter even had some remaining time on it, but when I went to check and possibly feed it some more, I saw the sign that could really only be seen from the sidewalk: a handicapped symbol and the words PERMIT REQUIRED 6:30 PM-10:00 AM.

I get the reason for the 6:30 p.m. part- to provide closest-to-the-door access for the disabled during hockey games, concerts and other events at the arena. I also get, much less happily, the reason for extending the restriction to 10 a.m.- it's a revenue enhancer, pure and simple. There is no godforsaken reason to expect a boatload of handicapped people at 9 a.m. in downtown Rochester who are suddenly not going to need the parking space an hour later. (Buffalo does the same damn thing in front of its downtown court buildings, restricting parking until 10 a.m. that is never available at that hour because the curb is littered with ticketed cars.)

Fortunately, there was a space two car lengths on the other side of the restricted zone, and I moved there without incident. As I gathered my stuff and started walking to court, a woman took the space I'd just left and was just getting out to feed the meter (which only had a few minutes left on it when I'd checked it). I pointed to the sign and said, "You know that's handicapped-only for another half hour, right?"

She kinda gave me a Who The Hell Are You? look and said, "But it's after 6:30."

I knew she was wrong, but I didn't want to come off as too much of a pedantic pest, and besides by now I was on the verge of being late, so I said, "Whatever. Just be careful."

Half an hour later, I returned to my car, and on the way to it, I saw what was definitely a city parking citation, and probably a fine of over $100, stuck on her windshield. As sure as shooting, the meter maids just trawl in those waters in the last minutes before 10 a.m. and likely support all kinds of worthy causes with that fine money. Even so, trying and failing at being a good guy made it feel as bad for me emotionally as it's going to feel for her financially.


ETA.Update, courtesy of shinuhana, in which The Drivers Strike Back at the traffic enforcers:

"Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets - What's so funny about Peace Love and Understanding" (Watch on YouTube)

I'd say we at least tied the score with that one.

Comments

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

Is that traffic video for real!?

[captainsblog.livejournal.com]

It's from a traffic ticket attorney's website, and of course everything WE put on the internet is 100% true, right?

(Actually, if it was faked, I'd bet they would have run the guy over or made it even more embarrassing.)

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

hahaha. :D

[shinuhana.livejournal.com]

He had another vid on his site of a guy that was pissed of after getting a speeding ticket just backing up into and on top of the cop car, so uh....

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

Snort!

I believe, by the way, that this sort of grace is the gift of Asphaulta, goddess of parking spaces. We used to have a little statue of her on the dash. When in need of her favor, you place a coin in her hands and visualize vast emptiness.