Magnolia Village is attracting more and more people for food, coffee, drinks and shopping-all a good thing-though as a server in a restaurant said one night, they refer to 9 p.m. as Magnolia midnight.
I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with are people who don't seem to know how to park a car so that they leave two feet, or a little less, between each car.
When I come down to the Village in the morning to post something in the mail or grab a cup of coffee at the McGraw Street Cafe, there are six cars taking up the entire block on that side of the street-a stretch that should be able to handle at least 10 cars, and maybe more if we're all driving compacts.
Here are some numbers for the linear thinkers. A city block, with some variation, is going to be around 250 feet long. Take away the 30-feet-from-the-corner parking restriction, and allow for a 6-foot-wide pedestrian walkway at the other end, and you have about 210 feet of parking.
The overall length of most cars is between 14 and 15 feet (would you believe a Prius is 14.3 feet long?). If I go with 15 feet, and add another 3 feet for space, I can park 11 cars on that block.
Okay. So I drive around the block a few times, spewing invectives at my windshield, finally finding a spot-maybe behind the block, or over by the hardware store.
Yeah, I know the exercise is good for me, and there's nothing I like better than walking around on a cold, drizzly winter day. And if you think I'm upset when I finally find a spot and walk past those 4- and 5-foot openings between cars, you should see me after I've had my jolt of caffeine.
I understand that at least a few of folks, typically the older generation, drove those 20-foot-plus long boats we used to call cars in the '60s and '70s for much of their lives, and that sitting in their Toyota Prius, they aren't quite sure where the end of their car is. But for most of us, this can be chalked up to being a bunch of chowderheads.
If you've been to European cities like Rome, Athens or Paris, you've seen firsthand what real traffic is like, and while most of us quake at the thought of driving in anything similar to what you find abroad, if you watch what's going on, you'll see that they've learned to accommodate each other to the greatest possible extent.
Admittedly, it can be harrowing for a pedestrian in these places, and I'm not suggesting that we drive all over the road or park sideways with our front wheels on the sidewalk-though I've been tempted to do that in some of those wide spaces between cars-but we should be able to see that Magnolia has become a little busier as a burg; we can cut others a break when we pull into a spot by not leaving enough room, front and back, to park a 16-wheeler.
Let's enjoy our free parking as long as we can, because you know it's just a matter of time before the city looks over the bridge and decides it's losing out on some decent revenue-and then here comes pay-for-parking. After all, Mayor Nickels needs funding for his Disneyland Trolley project.
Keep Magnolia the most livable neighborhood in Seattle by maintaining our compassion for our neighbors, and snug that BMW right up close to the car in front of you.[[In-content Ad]]
