Is this a **** move?

[Killick]

Guide me, oh SportsJournalists.com moral compass...
I live on the border between two states (Kentucky and Ohio), in a condo with only street parking. Now, I've lived here more than 10 years and parking has been, at times, a little scarce during big events.

However, lately, it's been brutal — all spots taken by 7 p.m., and nothing open for a couple of blocks around. I've wondered why.

Over the past few days, I've starting paying attention to license plates of the cars filling these spots. Tonight, for example, on my block, out of a possible 34 parking spaces only 11 were filled with in-state plates. Nineteen Ohio plates, two Indiana plates, Michigan and Wisconsin plates filled the rest.

Now, these people are either a) non-residents crashing at friends' places and screwing up life for actual residents here (which, I think pretty unlikely considering the numbers), or b) folks who are living here, but haven't transferred their car registrations, meaning they're not paying local property taxes and likely aren't paying Kentucky state taxes, either.

I'm considering keeping a log of these folks for a week or two and forwarding that information to the cops because I'm getting sick of having to cruise a pretty wide area just to park and go home.

So, is this a **** move? Any other suggestions?

 

[imjustagirl]

They'll probably just get a note to transfer their registrations, right? It's not like they can kick them out of the state.

 

[YGBFKM]

The cops have better things to do.

 

[Killick]

Actually, they can get a $45 ticket for first couple of notices for improper registration, and towed on a third notice. Other than just being plain vindictive, I'm hoping that those determined to be scofflaws will park elsewhere (since our street is sort of a main drag) to avoid further tickets. Thus, opening up spaces for my lazy ass.

 

[imjustagirl]

I'm guessing that wouldn't work.

Just slash their tires. Oh wait...then they'll never move.

I got nothing.

 

[Killick]

Ha! Well, as I was walking three blocks back to my car tonight because I forgot about my wallet on the dash, I did contemplate some really nasty Ohio State-themed graffiti for my Michigan-plated friend come the weekend of the big game...

... nah. I don't wanna be that guy.

 

[spnited]

It's a public street. You can't stop anyone from parking there. You have no case.

 

[Joshua Armstrong]

Ha! Well, as I was walking three blocks back to my car tonight because I forgot about my wallet on the dash, I did contemplate some really nasty Ohio State-themed graffiti for my Michigan-plated friend come the weekend of the big game...

... nah. I don't wanna be that guy.

Yes, you certainly don't want to be an Ohio State fan.

::ducking::

 

[Killick]

spnited: Actually, every couple of years the local police agencies go on a registration scofflaw jihad since there aren't city taxes in Northern Kentucky. The cities get their money from property taxes, including a piece of car registration dough the state collects. It's been a while since they went on the warpath, though.

Joshua: Too late. It's in my DNA. First allegiance is to my alma mater (Cincinnati), but all that time with Automatic Earl during my formative years in Mansfield ingrained a natural hatred of anything Michigan into my genetic code.

Anyway... Ah, hell. I know it's a **** move, really, and just pointless. I guess I just wanted to vent because I'm frustrated and in a friggin' bad mood. I really need to find a new gig and get the hell outta Greater Cincy. I've grown awfully tired of this burg.

 

[imjustagirl]

I wouldn't want to walk three blocks in Cincinnati at night, so I feel you.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

If they are being quiet, I wouldn't be that concerned about losing your parking spaces. Remember, it could be worse. You could be dealing with drug dealers less than 50 feet from your home who are loud at 3 a.m. like I am.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

My suggestion is get over it.

 

[luckyducky]

It's a public street. You can't stop anyone from parking there. You have no case.

You can't stop them, but you can scare them off.

In my city, there's a 72-hour street parking limitation. After a car hasn't moved for 72 hours, you can submit the car's info to a station or online, at which time the parking enforcement people will head out and tag the cars. Another 72 hours and they're still in the same spot? Impounded.

Have neighbors (with their own parking lot, FWIW) who park on the street and leave their cars for a week-plus. Slowly but surely, they've "found" their parking spots in the lot.

 

[FileNotFound]

Kentucky is very, very sticky about car registrations, as I recall. (I lived in Northern Kentucky for a while, and once had to shoo off a tow truck because of a sticker that was one month expired.) One of the reasons they're so sticky is because it's expensive to register a car there, compared to Ohio -- so expensive I actually considered using my Ohio work address to register my car. This was apparently fairly common practice until the city cops in Newport, Bellevue, Covington, et al, started cracking down hard.

Killick, it would be a **** move indeed, but I'm not sure that would stop me in your case.