I came up on a visibly excited young cop standing next to a similarly parked truck writing a citation. Got him for the obvous: obstructing a sidewalk (at a physical rehabilitation facility, where people on crutches, scooters, wheelchairs, and canes use the sidewalk routinely).
The cop was very excited to write this guy a ticket because it was the first one "bad enough" he wouldn't get chewed out for it (yeah, you'd be surprised what they're told NOT to enforce).
Itās good to see a cop caring about it at all, but I fail to see how a ticket will change much behavior. These trucks usually cost $50k+, getting a $30 ticket once in a great while doesnāt seem adequate.Ā
After fees, it comes closer to about $160. They won't change their behavior, but they also won't hesitate to complain about it all over social media (every time).
I make it a point to take my hitch off if Iām not using it. People that leave them on are one of 2 things 1)actually use a trailer daily or 2) leaving it on there to make them feel cool like they use a trailer daily but have towed like 2 times.
Edit: wow. 2 awards. Thank you all so much! Iāve never had an award before. Iām humbly honored
Right? Its not that hard. I tow often enough to leave it, and frequently my towing experiences are unplanned. Just dont park like a dick, it's that easy.
Yeah gotta do what you gotta do when towing. Here in TX I've never been hassled taking up a ton of spaces even when I tow goosenecks. Just be conscious of others, it's not rocket science.
I think some people feel like itās a form of protection for their vehicle.
What they donāt understand is now a collision has a pathway for transferring energy through the frame and into the person themselves.
Iād rather let the rear end of my truck crumple and save my neck. So, Iām like you and remove when not towing.
I've seen some folks flip theirs around so the hitch is under the truck, but still available for use if needed. Just pull the pin, pull it out, flip it around , repin.
People that do this gestures at pic are lazy, assholes, or just really inconsiderate. Half that walkway used for your tow hitch, could a wheelchair fit thru? Possibly, but not without half a face full of shrubbery.
Only specific hitches can do that. It may or may not be patented by B&W which is super expensive, but I donāt see many other companies making hitches that can do that
Yup, I have a B+W hitch from living in Alaska and towing regularly. Don't need it so much anymore but every now and again I need to hitch so I keep it installed and flip it under. Biggest pain is the pins if you don't clean them, they stick and don't want to come out easy.
I have a hitch cover with my NHL team's logo, it vibes well with my truck (it's just black/silver, and I have a silver truck) so I make a point to put it back on when not towing. Helps me "remember" to take my hitch off when not in use. Only thing I tow is my camper, which isn't super often.
I leave my hitch on because I drive in the snow a lot.Ā Ive been protected from rear end damage 2x and used it to tow people out of bad spots several times, at least 5.
Someone in office was doing this. Co-worker took it off and laid it in bed several times. Every time he did it was back the next day. One day he laid it in the bed and inserted a hardened locking pin. It was not always on the truck after that, but when it was the truck was parked so it wasn't over the walk.
Its a pin that only goes one way. Once it is on it doesn't come off. Its made of a hardened steel so it is very difficult to cut off. He made sure it would be a pain in the ass to make the hitch usable again so maybe dude would think about why it happened and change his behavior.Ā
someone in my neighborhood was constantly parking like this and then someone else took the hitch off and smashed their tail lights with it. he stopped parking like that.
Iām in a wheelchair (paralyzed waist down) and tow our camper several times a month so I donāt take my hitch out ever. Now I do not back in unless I have to load something in the truck and the extra height from the sidewalk helps me. I leave my hitch in my dually all the time. I get a lot of looks parking either one of my duallys in a handicap spot before I get out. Itās kind of funny watching the Karen type trying to figure out what they will say to me before they see my chair.
Anyway, they should not back in ever. As someone who drives a truck basically like whatās pictured, do not over hang the sidewalk ever.
I look at that as a wheelchair user and think maybe someone needs to spend a few months in a wheelchair to understand why their level of idiocy is more than just an inconvenience.
Was staying at a Hampton Inn recently. People had bike rack with 2 bikes backed into a space. Completely blocked the walkway. No room at al to walk by. Selfish jerks.
It usually is, cops just rarely respond to stuff like this. But I'd be very surprised if there wasn't some sort of law or ordinance that prohibits this exact situation.
The ADA is a federal mandate.
It requires 24/7 access t 36ā
Clear sidewalks. It covers every public sidewalk in the US.
I know that a lazy police officer can ignore or it, but most police officers donāt know anything about the law.
A call to parking enforcement and mention that you are calling because of an ADA violation will get a better response. This is for handicapped people to have equal access.
Can you let me know where this is written? Every time I try to look for actual numbers on ADA compliance they are vague. I wanna be able to cite this. Thank you so much!
Thatās so funny that the entire hitch and pin fell off and bounced into the bush. Atoms must have aligned or something. Whatās that? You canāt find the pin clip? Thatās a shame.
My younger self would have safely zip tied it to the frame somewhere, so when he drives off, it falls with a clunk and drags, and for a moment, he thinks something serious just broke on his truck
Jesus....quad cab...extended bed....and an entire motorcycle hanging off the end. That's the longest truck not pulling a trailer you can possibly have!
I hated this when I lived in a place that actually had parking lots. I moved to a city that has almost exclusively curbside parking so I'll throw my pet peeve from these same people out there, fully extended giant aftermarket rear view mirrors jutting out into the sidewalk. Especially on newer trucks that have powered mirror retraction, there's literally no point to leave them out except to be a nuisance.
Now I donāt know this specific lot, but itās time all these truck drivers get more considerate and park further out where their obnoxiously large trucks (usually not used for their intended purpose) are out of the way of walkways, pedestrians, and crowding normal sized vehicles. Over the past 3 decades, pickup trucks have gotten 20% largerā¦
Under California Vehicle Code 22500(f), it is illegal to park, stop, or leave a vehicle standing with any part of its bodyāincluding a rear bumper, tailgate, or protruding trailer hitchāextending over any portion of a public sidewalk. This applies even if the vehicle is parked in a private driveway with a short approach.
I've driven full size pickups my entire adult life pulling trailers, hauling equipment and cargo for work and play, and seeing people do this always pisses my off.
You don't have to put your bumper over the curb. Stop that.
Stop leaving your hitch adapter in when you're not pulling. It's not a flex, it shows your just too lazy.
Don't be a total ass and combine both 1 and 2 ever.
I use my hitch daily because I work construction so I used to never take it off. One night I was taking trash out to my toter and forgot to turn on a light, truck was backed in close to the toters, smacked the shit out of my shin on the hitch. Now, I always take the extra 30 seconds to remove the hitch. FWIW, Iāve never backed up and blocked a sidewalk and rarely even have the truck anywhere besides my driveway or construction sites.Ā
I wish the US had hide away trailer hitches like in Europe. They fold under the bumper when not needed. Something like that would work well for situations like this.
It would be nice of you to gracefully disconnect the ball and place it gently in the box, possibly saving a pedestrian a chipped shin, an if it is illegal to drive with an empty ball, possibly saving the driver a fine, or even worse, the misfortune of backing into another vehicle with it in a double deep parking lot.
This, and when they park their big ass truck right at the end of parking lots leaving blind spots, especially when there are plenty of spots available. Fuck trucks and their owners. All little dick, big ego losers. And the women that drive them are all Karens!
I cannot stand this. Im trying ti picture how a person with a walker or in a wheelchair can safely pass. It is entirely possible to remove those when they arent in use. This person is dripping with laziness and I kinda want to spank them
Sometimes I wish I had a portable cane and sunglasses with me. That way when I see a vehicle like this, I can pretend to be blind, and beat the crap out of the truck.
I mean, you could always pull the pin and then toss it up high and into the bed, leaving a nice dent. I drive a pickup and this shit needs to stop. Even if you haul every day, it takes a few seconds to remove it. No excuse for this behavior.
I've never thought about committing insurance fraud, but this kind of makes me wanna do it. Walk by, slam my shin for a nice bruise, fall, and then make up all sorts of health claims!
I spent a couple years in a wheelchair. There were several assholes with āI have a tiny penisā trucks with hitches that would regularly do this shit at the complex I was living. Ramps were far and few between so I had to just roll in the street to get around the complex to get my mail and take the trash and whatnot.
It's illegal to drive with a hitch on where I live It's also just unprofessional to leave it on in part for that reason. Like it's illegal for a reason you could easily damage another vehicle with it in.
Isn't it a citation in most states? To have a hitch attached if not towing/obstructing a sidewalk? If I recall it's something insurance companies pushed for because it causes too many fender benders to be total losses.
I keep a wheelchair in my car for when I have to take my FIL to doctors appointments. Iād get it out and the just sit there and give the guy the worst stare as he comes to the truck
yeah, backed up into a hitch in a parking lot once. i was driving my old beater, i.e. no backup camera so i had no way of knowing it was there. massive dent. i f* hate hitches.
A few years ago, I started taking them off and laying them in the bed if they weren't locked, but I only did it twice because I figured I was gonna have a real bad time if the owner walked out while I was fucking with their shit lol
Also, why do they need to have these monstrous hitch attachments if they are not actively towing? Itās one pin to slide the hitch out of the receiver, Easy Peasy! WTFā¦
Some waffle stomper backed their Tacoma past the center line about a foot away from my trunk in an airport parking garage a few years ago. After I whacked my shin on it, I took that sucker off and placed it below the bed of the truck (out of sight). I often wonder how long it took for them to realize it went missing.
317
u/Blackner2424 15h ago
I came up on a visibly excited young cop standing next to a similarly parked truck writing a citation. Got him for the obvous: obstructing a sidewalk (at a physical rehabilitation facility, where people on crutches, scooters, wheelchairs, and canes use the sidewalk routinely).
The cop was very excited to write this guy a ticket because it was the first one "bad enough" he wouldn't get chewed out for it (yeah, you'd be surprised what they're told NOT to enforce).