Saratoga News

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Parking spaces are
misused all over

In the opinion article by Dick Sparrer ("Parking's like writing--try to stay between the lines," July 17), he mentioned the misuse of parallel parking spaces. What I want to know is why can't people park within any parking spaces that are marked?

What good are these marked spaces if not used correctly? On any given day, and at any given hour, I can drive down Santa Cruz Avenue [in Los Gatos] and find a minimum of 12 to 18 vehicles overlapping the marked spaces, preventing other vehicles from parking correctly in the adjacent space.

Parking downtown is difficult enough. A vehicle taking up two spaces should be cited as overtime parking or "over line" parking.

Instead of being so oblivious to the world around us, can't we be more courteous in how we park? And speaking of courteous, I have seen people pull up on or tailgate vehicles that are trying to back into a space, sometimes rudely honking. Give them a break! Please be courteous and give them space, and how about a contagious smile to help make their day.

Jeannie Palma

Los Gatos