8 ms·

Because using scrap cars to exhaust the barnacle supply is a hilarious way to hack the system for the benefit of other students.

by teej 7y ago

g82918 7y ago
I think the argument is that this isn't to the benefit of other students, only to the benefit of other students that park improperly. Improperly parked cars decreases parking supply and puts more stress on students who park properly since they are unlikely to double park or park in a non marked location, whereas bad actors would be willing to deal with the low supply by parking even more improperly.
sumoboy 7y ago
Placing them on faculty cars, especially the dean's would have been the ultimate prank.
acdha 7y ago
How does this “benefit” other students? They're the ones who are being inconvenienced by scofflaws and if it's like most other places quite likely endangered: the same people who park illegally tend to be cavalier about blocking bike lanes and curb cuts, speeding, rolling through crosswalks, etc.
- flatiron 7y ago
  As someone who commuted to college parking illegally is just something you have to do. I had parking fines I had to pay before receiving my diploma even though I made the grades and such. Parking and universities is a mess.
  - notatoad 7y ago
    >parking illegally is just something you have to do driving to college is not something you have to do. it's something you choose to do. parking is a side effect of driving, not a god-given right.
    - mertd 7y ago
      In a lot of North American towns, driving is not a choice.
    - whichquestion 7y ago
      If you are low income, and need to get to school but have no other way to go than to drive, what else should you do? It seems like you are suggesting that some people have other choices than driving. There are a lot of colleges with no accessible public transportation infrastructure. Many people don’t have the financial means to do anything else, especially when there isn’t the public transportation infrastructure to support them.
      - notatoad 7y ago
        what does low income have to do with this? driving is expensive. between fuel, vehicle maintenance, parking, and insurance, driving your personal vehicle should not be the "low income" choice. If there's truly no choice other than driving (which isn't really possible, because if driving alone is an option then so is carpooling), your income level has nothing to do with it. If there is a choice, then low income is not a reason to drive.
        callinyouin 7y ago
        Your comment completely ignores the reality for many, many people. I was a low income college student who drove and public transportation was not an option for me. Outside of very large cities public transportation is often inefficient to the point that the logistics of attending college and having a job just don't work. Between my part time job and classes I wouldn't have made it to either on time if I took a bus. I sometimes carpooled, but I only knew a few people at the college and work/class schedules didn't often align enough to make ride sharing a possibility. So I bought a very crappy car and basically prayed to the gods every time I used it that it wouldn't break down. It wasn't ideal of course, but being poor never is. And I was lucky. So many people have problems and commitments that make this situation a lot more difficult, like having a kid. Can you imagine relying on a slow public transportation system while also juggling school, a job, and child care? I can't. I've seen a lot of these type of comments on HN and my takeaway is that an awful lot of us are totally oblivious to the realities of living in poverty. Although maybe the real takeaway should be that people in general are often bad at viewing the world from any perspective other than their own. I really wish people could be more understanding.
- srhngpr 7y ago
  >the same people who park illegally tend to be cavalier about blocking bike lanes and curb cuts, speeding, rolling through crosswalks, etc. this is generalization at the next level. Anecdotally, when I was in university, I saw parking fees for the spot that I paid for in my first semester go from $180 for the semester (13 weeks) to $600/semester in my 4th year. I think parking tends to be a bit of an issue at many universities across north america.
  - acdha 7y ago
    We have public records here in DC. Most times I report someone doing something antisocial (e.g. blocking lanes, crosswalks, refusing to yield, etc. - things which actively inconvenience other road users) using hmdapp.io there’s at least a 50% chance that they have multiple unpaid tickets. The highest I’ve seen is over $10k, but others have found drivers over $40k.
    - lainga 7y ago
      Ooh, the app should probably bundle all those things you've observed into one simple metric, a "score" of some kind.
      - marksomnian 7y ago
        cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit_System
- HarryHirsch 7y ago
  That's absolutely the case, and traffic scofflaws ought to be hit where it hurts: yank their license. Traffic signs (including parking) are there to keep traffic flowing, they don't put them up because they look pretty.

Because using scrap cars to exhaust the barnacle supply is a hilarious way to hack the system for the benefit of other students.

by teej 7y ago

Because using scrap cars to exhaust the barnacle supply is a hilarious way to hack the system for the benefit of other students.

g82918 7y ago

I think the argument is that this isn't to the benefit of other students, only to the benefit of other students that park improperly. Improperly parked cars decreases parking supply and puts more stress on students who park properly since they are unlikely to double park or park in a non marked location, whereas bad actors would be willing to deal with the low supply by parking even more improperly.

sumoboy 7y ago

Placing them on faculty cars, especially the dean's would have been the ultimate prank.

acdha 7y ago

How does this “benefit” other students? They're the ones who are being inconvenienced by scofflaws and if it's like most other places quite likely endangered: the same people who park illegally tend to be cavalier about blocking bike lanes and curb cuts, speeding, rolling through crosswalks, etc.

flatiron 7y ago
As someone who commuted to college parking illegally is just something you have to do. I had parking fines I had to pay before receiving my diploma even though I made the grades and such. Parking and universities is a mess.
- notatoad 7y ago
  >parking illegally is just something you have to do driving to college is not something you have to do. it's something you choose to do. parking is a side effect of driving, not a god-given right.
  - mertd 7y ago
    In a lot of North American towns, driving is not a choice.
  - whichquestion 7y ago
    If you are low income, and need to get to school but have no other way to go than to drive, what else should you do? It seems like you are suggesting that some people have other choices than driving. There are a lot of colleges with no accessible public transportation infrastructure. Many people don’t have the financial means to do anything else, especially when there isn’t the public transportation infrastructure to support them.
    - notatoad 7y ago
      what does low income have to do with this? driving is expensive. between fuel, vehicle maintenance, parking, and insurance, driving your personal vehicle should not be the "low income" choice. If there's truly no choice other than driving (which isn't really possible, because if driving alone is an option then so is carpooling), your income level has nothing to do with it. If there is a choice, then low income is not a reason to drive.
      - callinyouin 7y ago
        Your comment completely ignores the reality for many, many people. I was a low income college student who drove and public transportation was not an option for me. Outside of very large cities public transportation is often inefficient to the point that the logistics of attending college and having a job just don't work. Between my part time job and classes I wouldn't have made it to either on time if I took a bus. I sometimes carpooled, but I only knew a few people at the college and work/class schedules didn't often align enough to make ride sharing a possibility. So I bought a very crappy car and basically prayed to the gods every time I used it that it wouldn't break down. It wasn't ideal of course, but being poor never is. And I was lucky. So many people have problems and commitments that make this situation a lot more difficult, like having a kid. Can you imagine relying on a slow public transportation system while also juggling school, a job, and child care? I can't. I've seen a lot of these type of comments on HN and my takeaway is that an awful lot of us are totally oblivious to the realities of living in poverty. Although maybe the real takeaway should be that people in general are often bad at viewing the world from any perspective other than their own. I really wish people could be more understanding.
srhngpr 7y ago
>the same people who park illegally tend to be cavalier about blocking bike lanes and curb cuts, speeding, rolling through crosswalks, etc. this is generalization at the next level. Anecdotally, when I was in university, I saw parking fees for the spot that I paid for in my first semester go from $180 for the semester (13 weeks) to $600/semester in my 4th year. I think parking tends to be a bit of an issue at many universities across north america.
- acdha 7y ago
  We have public records here in DC. Most times I report someone doing something antisocial (e.g. blocking lanes, crosswalks, refusing to yield, etc. - things which actively inconvenience other road users) using hmdapp.io there’s at least a 50% chance that they have multiple unpaid tickets. The highest I’ve seen is over $10k, but others have found drivers over $40k.
  - lainga 7y ago
    Ooh, the app should probably bundle all those things you've observed into one simple metric, a "score" of some kind.
    - marksomnian 7y ago
      cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit_System
HarryHirsch 7y ago
That's absolutely the case, and traffic scofflaws ought to be hit where it hurts: yank their license. Traffic signs (including parking) are there to keep traffic flowing, they don't put them up because they look pretty.