I have seen one too many slob parking attendants getting fat off of taxing myself and my neighbors.
Out my sister's window at the intersection of Marathon and Merwin in Los Angeles California, you can see down the full length of Merwin Street.
What I will do for my hood is take my sisters nikon d40, and fit it with one of her great lenses that has a really deep focus. I will then hook it up to an old computer where I will script the following: 1) capture image 2) scan image for text strings found on parking attendant cars (license numbers and/or the words "parking attendant"). 3) sound the alarm ("Attention, a big, fat, ugly parking attendant is patrolling the area.") Directions will be repeated in Spanish. Perhaps an email could go out to those who signup.
Subscription to the service will be obtained by visiting parkingslobalert.com. Free software for OSX and windows, as well as instructions for setup will be available as well.-- fishboner, Aug 24 2010 still not totally convinced http://percyweller....-trap-warning-sign/ [po, Aug 25 2010] Conviction for warning of speed trap http://www.telegrap...eed-trap-alert.htmlPensioner convicted and banned from driving [Twizz, Aug 25 2010] 21, couldn't you have billed the parking tickets to the client?-- Bootbuckles, Aug 24 2010 The social engineering aspects could use some tidying. I was also thinking it might be better to have people register their license plates with the website, along with their phone number. The script could easily determine the day and time, which plates are on the wrong side of the street, how long they have been there (to weed out people waiting in their cars for a few minutes), and just email them the night before a street cleaning day. Needless to say, if someone's car is blocking your cars plate from the camera, you will not get notified until they move.-- fishboner, Aug 24 2010 I suspect you'd fall foul of 'obstruction of justice' legislation. Here in the UK, at least one individual has been prosecuted for erecting a sign in his garden, warning of a speed trap ahead. Drivers saw the sign and slowed down, the police issued fewer tickets because fewer drivers were speeding. Although the sign actually reduced crime, it seems that prosecutions are more important.
I'd like to be optimistic, but I'm pretty sure I'll turn out to be cynical.-- Twizz, Aug 25 2010 not sure I believe that [twizz] probably an urban myth.-- po, Aug 25 2010 See Link-- Twizz, Aug 25 2010 identical case to the one I linked.
its absolutely disgusting! btw the sign appears to be a hand-held thing rather than some semi-permanent sign in a garden but nonetheless, outrageous and the fact that it came to court at all is a perfect example of a waste of tax-payers' money.-- po, Aug 25 2010 I think its the hypocrisy that really annoys me and taking away the guy's licence was just outrageous.
btw completely o/t I saw a couple of youngsters being searched yesterday by a policeman and a policewoman (their unmarked car) was completely blocking a busy sidestreet as they did so. the kids (well, in their early 20's I suppose) were being very co-operative with what appeared to be a thorough search and pointed out to the searchers that I was taking photographs of the whole thing - what worried me was that the (supposedly) police officers were dressed quite casually but identical - blue jeans and tatty blue sweatshirts.-- po, Aug 27 2010 [d] If the stated purpose of speed traps is to deter drivers from speeding, and the pensioner's sign had the effect of preventing drivers from speeding, what's the problem.
To take the looting analogy: I'd be much happier if my house wasn't looted because someone had a sign reading 'police looking for looters', than to have my house looted and the looters caught.
[po] The UK police have never been good at 'plain clothes'. In my youth I frequented places where plain clothes officers were regularly seen. Once you'd seen one or two, you could spot them a mile off. It became something of a sport to greet them with "evenin' sarge" or some such.-- Twizz, Aug 27 2010 [twizz] do you know what they are allowed to do out of uniform? would they need to show police ID before conducting a body search in the street?
I was so wishing they'd challenge my right to photograph them.
btw, on looking at my pics, they weren't blue sweatshirts but a kind of rain jacket.-- po, Aug 27 2010 [Twizz] maybe I should do this where I live, which is on a twisty rural road that straightens in front of my house. They hit the straightaway and gun it up to about 80 in a 55 (mph).
There are no speed traps out here - I wonder if I would run afoul of any laws (libel?) by saying or implying that there were.
That way, everyone would just think I was doing them a favor, and maybe wouldn't throw so many McDonald's bags out in the curve.-- nomocrow, Aug 27 2010 You'd think that, after the recent stuff in the papers, and given enough will, that someone, somewhere would have bought some and thrown a couple into the mix. Wouldn't you?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 29 2010 An example of the need for chalk colored tires.
el dueno-- el dueno, Aug 31 2010 random, halfbakery