Loading zones

Topics/tags: Rants, short

Grinnell College has two loading zones on eighth avenue, one between the two front entrances to Noyce and one by the West entrance of the JRC. Loading zones have a variety of purposes. They provide a place to leave your car for a few minutes so that you can drop something off or pick something up. They also provide a place to drop someone off or pick someone up.

For our code camps, we’re counting on the loading zones for the latter purpose. It would be nice if parents found it easy to drop their kids off and pick their kids up.

Unfortunately, Grinnell appears to have a few incredibly rude people on campus who think that the loading zones should be their personal parking places. Two of them drive Jeeps. One, with Iowa Plates GWU 992, is clear about their intentions: They put a windshield shade in when the park in the loading zone. It was there at 10am. It was there at 4pm. Another, with Poweshiek Iowa Plates FJY 950, seems to belong to a student. At least it has student hang tag 1167. I wonder which local student it is. I know it’s not my kids. I hope it’s not their friends.

I really wonder what leads people to be that selfish. The loading zones are for quick stops, not for parking. Because they use it for parking, other people can’t drop stuff or people off. It strikes me as a violation of the general Grinnell ethos and, in the student’s case, of self-gov.

Campus Safety can’t ticket them [1] because it’s city property, not College property. The city doesn’t seem inclined to ticket them. I hope that changes.

In any case, it’s caused problems for me when I’ve had to bring things to my office [2]. I’ve seen the parkers interfere with trying to drop off elderly citizens for talks at JRC 101. It’s likely to cause more significant problems for our camps. I’m hoping to be able to put up signs and that the signs will have an impact; these folks clearly lack a sense of broader responsibility, so I’m not sure. I also hope to figure out who they are and discuss their behavior with them.

But for now, I’m just going to rant.

[1] I know, I’ve asked.

[2] For example, when I bring food for events.

Version 1.0 of 2018-06-08.