DCTC doesn't care

Temporary Inconvenience by M.V. Jantzen

Comments

[Shawn]

Call the cops!

Oh, wait...

[DaveS]

I bumped an unmarked MPD squad that was double-parked in a bike lane this week. (I attempted to pass but a truck took my gap and I couldn't stop short of bumping the bumper - no damage, no injuries, no big deal, except...)

Before I knew it was MPD I called 311 to ask for parking enforcement, which prompted the driver to call her supervisor (explaining that it's MPD procedure when they're involved in a crash) and while we waited she wouldn't move down the block to clear the bike lane until a car next to her needed to leave. She blocked the bike lane for at least 45 minutes before eventually parking.

When the supervisor arrived there was an open spot a few vehicles ahead, so of course he parked... halfway in it, still blocking the bike lane. When the patrol car arrived to take the standard accident report it parked in the bike lane, not the open driveway. When the evidence technician arrived to photograph evidence of no damage it parked in the bike lane on the opposite side of the street!

This is a problem of policy and procedure. It's not a few thoughtless officers, it's not entirely circumstantial, and it's definitely NOT an exception. Neither car used their safety strobe lighting or police lights even though they were both so equipped. Neither driver seemed to consider the special status of the space they were using, and based on our further discussions they both were acting as directed under the circumstances. I'm hopeful that the internal reporting on this little incident will add to the statistics and be available to effect whatever changes are required so the few facilities the city has provided remain useful to all of us.