Fire Lane

This post is dedicated to Korynn & Bryan (my firefighting in-laws) and as well as all those idiots out there.
(Korynn & Bryan...you're not the idiots...just read on)


I work in an out door shopping center. In this shopping center there is a Festival Foods, Radio Shack, Payless, and Target. Painted on the edge of the side walk of the shopping center is a bright RED line and there are signs posted EVERYWHERE saying "No Parking, Fire Lane". (See Image Below)

(Ours does not have the fancy yellow lines and writing)

About 20 feet away from this curb are pleanty of parking spots, and as a law abiding and respectful citizen I park in these spots no matter where I'm at or how long I'm going to be in the stores.

However, there are quite a few people who believe not only are they above the law, but are simply better than everyone else. They believe that they do not have to park in the regular parking spots for regular people, but that they are so mighty and special and that their poop smells like roses so they're able to park next to the curb (that is labeled FIRELANE).

Sometimes people run right in and right out, but today we had a lady who was parked there (and I am NOT kidding you) for 45 minutes! She parked her car on the Payless side of the cross walk and went into Radio Shack which is about 30 feet away from where she parked. This makes absolutely no sense considering the front parking spot was open and was only about 20 feet away from the door of Radio Shack. Part of me wanted to call the Police Department and tell them that there was an abandoned car left in the fire lane, but I didn't.

What really gets me is when people leave their children in the car and run into places while they're parked in the fire lane. As if having someone in the car means that you're not "parked". Heaven forbid that there was actually a fire and those poor kids were left in the car.

So why shouldn't we park in the fire lane. Well, the main reason is so that we don't get a ticket. Also, firemen need to be able to have a direct path to the area that's on fire and if your car is in that path...you might end up like this Mayor....

The fire hoses aren't able to bend when they're full of water, so if the direct path to the fire is through your car, then that's where they'll go. No matter if you're the Mayor or not!

So please, don't park in the fire lane. Be smart, and respectful. (And not lazy).