Please stop giving your suburban friends DC guest parking passes

[Anonymous]

I have no comment yet on the guest parking passes, and anyway the issue in my neighborhood (Adams Morgan) is not enough spaces even for residents-- but really only on evenings and weekends when time restrictions expire, anyway.

But LOTS of centrally located residential neighborhoods are within easy walks of offices, and places like the West End, Penn Quarter, and Dupont have a mix of businesses and residences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does this bother people so much? None of you are complaining that residents can't find parking places, which would seem to be the only legitimate concern. Otherwise you're just mad that you think someone else is getting away with something.

There are a few people who park on my street and take the bus, but frankly the much bigger problem is all the churchgoers who park on my street on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

WHy does it bother me? Because YOU DONT LIVE HERE. It's ILLEGAL!! I live here and I pay taxes for these services and for my street. You made a choice not to live here and that's ok but don't come and flout our laws and then ask me what's the big deal. And I have called 311 on a couple of cars. Here's how it works, they come by and tag the plate, and it's in the computer, if plates keep showing up on the scanner then they ticket. Eventually they'll tow.

[Anonymous]

If it's a legitimate guest pass, and it's theirs to give, what's the problem?

[Anonymous]

To the comment that they should reduce the size of the RPP zones to something smaller than a Ward - I would not be in favor of this. I live in Ward 6 and often drive to other parts of Ward 6 to go shopping, go to a restaurant, go to the post-office. If my parking permit was just good for a few blocks around my house, it wouldn't help me to carry out the general business of living in a city neighborhood. Now, a residential pass could easily be restricted to a block or two of the house because the legitimate purpose of those is for someone who works in your house (nanny, home health worker, etc.) or someone who is staying with you temporarily, but longer than the two-week visitor pass.

I would just worry about trying to fix the problem of parking cheats from the suburbs by reducing the RPP areas and preventing DC residents from parking near the commercial districts of their own Ward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does this bother people so much? None of you are complaining that residents can't find parking places, which would seem to be the only legitimate concern. Otherwise you're just mad that you think someone else is getting away with something.

There are a few people who park on my street and take the bus, but frankly the much bigger problem is all the churchgoers who park on my street on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

WHy does it bother me? Because YOU DONT LIVE HERE. It's ILLEGAL!! I live here and I pay taxes for these services and for my street. You made a choice not to live here and that's ok but don't come and flout our laws and then ask me what's the big deal. And I have called 311 on a couple of cars. Here's how it works, they come by and tag the plate, and it's in the computer, if plates keep showing up on the scanner then they ticket. Eventually they'll tow.

For the record, this is complete and utter BS. I live three blocks off Connecticut where they ticket every morning because one side of the street is a free for all without any zone parking restrictions (have I blown my cover). Every major bus line is mere feet from this block. They actually DO tag the cars over there for repeats. If you have a visitor's permit and park over there -- like my nanny does every morning (for years), you don't get a ticket or put in the system. Believe me, we have asked. There is no way they can tell if someone is a nanny or a commuter. Duh!

Stop being hysterical.

[Anonymous]

So let me get this straight. Guest pass to nanny for the entire work day = OK. Guest pass for friend for the entire work day = not OK. I see no difference, other than one benefits you directly, but a car is still a car, and the nonresident is still a nonresident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So let me get this straight. Guest pass to nanny for the entire work day = OK. Guest pass for friend for the entire work day = not OK. I see no difference, other than one benefits you directly, but a car is still a car, and the nonresident is still a nonresident.

Exactly. This is why the OP is full of it. Parking enforcement doesn't work like that. If they see a guest pass they just keep walking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know they aren't dropping at kid off at daycare or coming back from the gym?

Are you an idiot? Why would they have guest passes? I know for a fact that people give or sell them to commuters who want to break the law.

You know this for a fact? Prove it.

I'm not the OP, but I work in zone 6 and I have a coworker who lives in outside the District who uses one of those residential passes that she got from a friend. (It's not a guest pass-- those only last for two weeks. These are residential passes that last for a year.) They are horribly misused and I don't know why the city sends these things out.

As for "prove it"-- what do you want, video evidence?

Well, yes, since you're going to call 311 on someone and have them towed, you better damn well be able to prove your case.

What D.C. residences are anywhere near offices anyway? That doesn't make any sense.

When did I say that I worked in an "office"? There's plenty of schools and businesses in residential areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So let me get this straight. Guest pass to nanny for the entire work day = OK. Guest pass for friend for the entire work day = not OK. I see no difference, other than one benefits you directly, but a car is still a car, and the nonresident is still a nonresident.

Exactly. This is why the OP is full of it. Parking enforcement doesn't work like that. If they see a guest pass they just keep walking.

Again you fail to see the point. The nanny working for someone in a residential neighborhood is ok. The person who parks on Albermarle and then takes the metro downtown is NOT OK. Jesus are you people that daft?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does this bother people so much? None of you are complaining that residents can't find parking places, which would seem to be the only legitimate concern. Otherwise you're just mad that you think someone else is getting away with something.

Abuse of the guess pass placard completely defeats the purpose of the RPP program. As it stands, despite RPP, anyone who lives within several blocks of a Metro station like Tenley, Friendship, Van Ness or Cleveland Park finds commuters parking all day in scarce spots on residential side streets, and making it very difficult for a resident with a baby or older parent, etc. to find any parking nearby their homes. It's tough enough that RPP boundaries are set by ward, although there is talk of making them smaller. But it's really annoying when soneone is using a guest parking permit for commuting purposes.

The best changes to the guest pass prgoram would be (1) to charge for them and (2) to print the homeowner's address (but not name) on them. That should cut down on the abuse.

The OP should call Councilmember Cheh's office. She's in charge of DDOT and has been looking at the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So let me get this straight. Guest pass to nanny for the entire work day = OK. Guest pass for friend for the entire work day = not OK. I see no difference, other than one benefits you directly, but a car is still a car, and the nonresident is still a nonresident.

Exactly. This is why the OP is full of it. Parking enforcement doesn't work like that. If they see a guest pass they just keep walking.

Again you fail to see the point. The nanny working for someone in a residential neighborhood is ok. The person who parks on Albermarle and then takes the metro downtown is NOT OK. Jesus are you people that daft?

Actually I think the nanny thing is BS, too. Why do some people in my parking zone get free parking for their nanny, while others don't? If the District wants to give passes to residents for household employees, then fine, but don't give it to some people but not others. It's arbitrary and stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone can afford to buy in DC. OP stop being so elitist. Also you need to get a hobby if you spend this much time watxhing people out your window.

Oh brother! Because you can't afford to live in DC, you are entitled to park in DC for free? Mmmmkay. Is this a new welfare program that I'm not aware of?

I live in NW DC by a Metro stop but I give mine to my nanny. Go back to staring out your window.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the comment that they should reduce the size of the RPP zones to something smaller than a Ward - I would not be in favor of this. I live in Ward 6 and often drive to other parts of Ward 6 to go shopping, go to a restaurant, go to the post-office. If my parking permit was just good for a few blocks around my house, it wouldn't help me to carry out the general business of living in a city neighborhood. Now, a residential pass could easily be restricted to a block or two of the house because the legitimate purpose of those is for someone who works in your house (nanny, home health worker, etc.) or someone who is staying with you temporarily, but longer than the two-week visitor pass.

I would just worry about trying to fix the problem of parking cheats from the suburbs by reducing the RPP areas and preventing DC residents from parking near the commercial districts of their own Ward.

Your RPP isn't designed to "help you to carry out the general business of living in a city neighborhood" - it's designed to allow you to park at or near your home. It's purpose is not subsidized parking at area establishments. Why should you get preferred parking at a business simply because you happen to live in the same ward?

In any event, most street parking isn't restricted to only ward residents - it's either time-limitted and free, or time-limited and metered. So you can still park there - you just have to finish your business within 2 hours or so, or pay to park.

[Anonymous]

"I would just worry about trying to fix the problem of parking cheats from the suburbs by reducing the RPP areas and preventing DC residents from parking near the commercial districts of their own Ward."

But the purpose of the program is so that residents have some reasonable chance of finding a parking spot in the vicinity of their residences. That's why it's called the RESIDENT PARKING PERMIT prograom. It is not intended as a benefit for a DC resident to find free street parking so they can go to a restaurant or movie in Georgetownn or Cleveland Park!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So let me get this straight. Guest pass to nanny for the entire work day = OK. Guest pass for friend for the entire work day = not OK. I see no difference, other than one benefits you directly, but a car is still a car, and the nonresident is still a nonresident.

Exactly. This is why the OP is full of it. Parking enforcement doesn't work like that. If they see a guest pass they just keep walking.

Again you fail to see the point. The nanny working for someone in a residential neighborhood is ok. The person who parks on Albermarle and then takes the metro downtown is NOT OK. Jesus are you people that daft?

I wish I had a warning for that one, almost spit my coffee out. Are you really honestly that obtuse?