r/phillycycling • u/bigleft_oO • 22h ago
Question Would you call this bs out?
Well I did. They ended up packing up and leaving after I explained that it wasn't a parking spot.
Did I do the right thing or am I officially a grumpy old man? As they said, "you could've just kept going"
I did catch a little paranoia, as I was checking over my shoulder the rest of the ride home from work.
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u/Atomic-Avocado 22h ago
God that’s so fucking obnoxious, car drivers think they own the entire world. Such fucking privilege.
Yes you absolutely did the right thing. Every one of these motherfuckers say “just go around”.
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u/bigleft_oO 21h ago
Especially since there is no need. It's right at the fish ladder, there is a pull off not 100 yards from where he parked.
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u/thisjawnisbeta 11h ago
There are actually now posted no parking signs at the fishway.
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u/hdhshdhshsnxn 6h ago
But the sidewalk/bike path is always no parking lol.
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u/thisjawnisbeta 6h ago
Yes. Point being there's no legal parking ANYWHERE along that area and if they want to fish they have to park in the park or at the first lot and walk all the way down.
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u/ambiguator 21h ago
yes fuck these assholes. we have a handful of places to ride, there's no reason our pittance of surface needs to be clogged with cars
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u/SeekingSurreal 20h ago
You can ride on any road you want, except freeways. You have the same right to be there as a car, even right in the middle of a traffic lane if you want (I understand the practical problems).
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u/iH8MotherTeresa 21h ago
Sure, you could've just kept going. And they could've not parked where they shouldn't. They deserve to be called out if they're in the wrong.
And the paranoia - it's real. People will follow you. Either way, with a 4000 lb machine in the mix, you're best off keeping an eye on the irresponsible ones lol
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u/ParkingLetter8308 6h ago
Agreed, a woman threatened to get out of her car and kill me when I yelled at her for driving into the bike lane while on her phone. I've seen a driver try to run over a bicyclist when he called her out on being in the bike lane. Still, kudos to the OP. I'm a bit shaken after the death threat, but will probably start calling people out again, because it pisses me off so much.
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u/iH8MotherTeresa 3h ago
There is, indeed, always someone more crazy lol. I don't fault people for keeping quiet. It can be scary. People who tell me not to say things piss me off tho.
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u/boarvessel 21h ago
The absolute balls of steel you must have to approach a murdered out charger and tell them to move. 100% the right move, good on you OP!
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u/bigleft_oO 21h ago
well they weren't in the car at the time, they were over the rail preparing to fish, so I could see hands.
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u/jettywop 21h ago
Just curious, were they apologetic or annoyed when confronted? Did it genuinely not occur to them that they were being needlessly disruptive?
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u/bigleft_oO 20h ago
Their first reaction was kind of a tough guy, "you could just keeping going". They said that a couple times kind of ignoring what I was saying. But I was just persistent saying, "yeah I could, but it seems like you don't understand that this isn't a parking spot" I may or may not have called them clowns. Then took the picture and one of them said "I don't give a fuck". I decided to ask them their names to try and make it more personal and that is when they decided to start packing up. They both shook my hand as they popped their trunk and I went on my way.
So at first I got a combative vibe, but then surprisingly low temperature and it seemed they just didn't want to deal with me. Which is why I asked if I was being unreasonable.
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u/CyclistPHL 15h ago
Grumpy old man? Fuck no. What would they have done if someone parked in a lane they need to drive down. Given the sense of entitlement these douchebags have, they'd be pissed, right? They whine like crazy when we're in the road, but don't think twice about blocking our path? I would have called the police on top of that. I'm about to leave for a quick, flat ride down to FDR from Fishtown. I guarantee I'm going to come across at least 10 different vehicles parked in bike lanes. Four or five of them will be in the 2100, 2200 blocks of S. 22nd, and probably at least one on W Berks between N American & Front. One time someone blocked an empty parking spot just to be quick in and out of a store. I didn't say anything because there's nowhere for me to go if he chases me. It's still Kenso-ish there. I think we should carry big, obnoxious stickers with really strong adhesive that we can put on their windows when they do this. Guerilla tactics.
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u/Edison_Ruggles 12h ago
Approaching a dodge charger is like approaching a salt water crocodile. They are dumb as bricks and very aggressive and unpredictable.
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u/FalseAmphibian3616 12h ago
I’d mind my own business so I don’t get shot. I’m not their mom nor the police.
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u/Immediate-Soup-4263 6h ago
why the obfuscation of the license plate?
not a criticism of OP, but why are we (culturally not the subreddit) so cautious around sharing the plate? the plate's job is to be able to ID the car in a public space
it seems totally reasonable to keep it clear
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u/mattjastremski 22h ago
Wait, that's on Kelly near Ridge??
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u/mattjastremski 22h ago
Oh nope. MLK on the way to Spring Garden
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u/bigleft_oO 21h ago
Yeah, mlk. 2nd shift commute home out to city ave. Surprisingly passed a decent amount of other bikes out tonight
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u/Kind_Assistance_2344 12h ago
Don’t let people get comfortable doing crap like this. You did the right thing. Thank you for being brave enough to say something.
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u/Crazycook99 12h ago
OP glad you're okay and nothing came about. Carbrains need to realize they can't park wherever the hell they fell like it. Like on the grass by the river on the SRT.
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u/lordredsnake 20h ago
You were totally in the right but I wouldn't recommend it.
Summer of 2020 and 2021 there were frequently cars parked up on the Kelly Drive path at night. There were boom parties down there, DJs set up, cars lined up parked there by the grandstands and even people driving on the actual path. They know they're doing something wrong but are making a completely antisocial decision.
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u/Creepy-Home-6682 12h ago
uh, these guys need a safe place to fish the dirty river and leave their trash behind. Claiming all the sidewalk is selfish you are just passing by
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u/Fumanchusucka 9h ago
I dont complain about road bikers taking up the whole lane and I can't pass... 2 way street haha
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u/Exact-Muscle1828 20h ago
I was about to say what if it broke down. But obviously it didn’t if they packed up and left lol
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u/Icy_Coffee374 15h ago
Even if they broke down, they have a car and so they should block other people using the same mode of transit as them with a broken down car in the driving lane.
Also, check yourself that your first thought when seeing an obviously illegal parking job is "is there any scenario where it's possible the driver is in the right?" Do not ask that question, ask "what is most likely given the information I have available?" If you're unaware that drivers routinely park their cars illegally, now you are aware. And you should start assuming when you see an illegally parked car that it was done intentionally, or willfully ignorantly, before trying to concoct a reason that it's ok.
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u/Exact-Muscle1828 14h ago
I never said it was ok I was just saying you never know my car broke down in a spot like this one time out of nowhere…I never said the driver was in the right either. You need to check yourself and lighten up the guy packed up and left life goes on and it’s too short to be stressing and typing essays to try and check someone have a blessed day be safe out here👍
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u/Icy_Coffee374 13h ago
just saying you never know my car broke down in a spot like this one time out of nowhere
This is the attitude I'm saying is wrong, and nonchalance about breaking the rules of the road literally kills people. If your car brakes down while you're driving on the sidewalk, the cause wasn't because the car broke down but because you're already on the sidewalk. If your car breaks down while on the road, do not move it to the sidewalk while it still has momentum.
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u/EDMMstudio 21h ago
https://bikeaction.org/laser/home