The Desonesto Doctrine

Are parking tickets cheaper than parking lots?

Parking in New York City is an expensive pain in the ass. I know, I’ve had a car here for the past 7 years.

Since most city residents don’t have driveways or home garages, keeping a car means you have 2 choices:
1. Park on the street.
2. Pay for a monthly space in a lot.
Ditching your car in the Hudson is only an option for Jimmy Hoffa types.

I know New Yorkers who put their cars in a lot or parking garage. Some of them pay a lot of $$$ for the privilege. Others, walk a half mile or more to a cheaper lot.

I know people – self-included - who make moving their car part of a twice weekly routine. Heading out at night to search for “free street parking” or driving around until a street has been cleaned and they pick any spot. 

I also know a few people who park on the street and don’t move their cars. They take the ticket from the city and think of it as their monthly parking expense. In essence, the city streets are parking lot and these folk pay the city (in fines) for the privilege to park on the street.

Why?

As a neighbor who does this told me, parking tickets are cheaper than paying a parking lot.

Interesting.

Could paying a fine actually be cheaper than paying for a monthly parking space? Here’s what I found out.

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Wagons Among Us

By Thomas Gallant

Let’s face it, the station wagon hasn’t been en vogue since Chevy Chase was funny.  To the average American, the idea of having a station wagon ranks slightly above the idea of having a minivan or a Yugo.  Practicality is tough to mask with style, and very few cars can pull it off.  However, if you don’t have any concern for gas mileage, you can always get all that wagon you never wanted in a big ole SUV. I personally think that sport wagons, or “Avants” as Audi likes to dub them, that admit to being station wagons are pretty sweet.  You get the sportiness and performance of their sedan counterparts with better weight balance and a roof low enough to actually put shit on, eliminating the need for ridiculous accessories.

With gas prices breaching $5 per gallon at the pump in the not so distant past, the big SUV has lost its luster and Americans have been grasping to find something that’s a station wagon, but isn’t.  These next 5 station wagons live among us like the Autobots, hiding in plain sight.

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The New Passing Lane

By baierman, Motorist.

When I learned to drive, I distinctly remember being taught that when driving on major highways and multi-lane roads, the left lane was the passing lane.

To steal a quote from Driver’s Ed: “A passing lane or overtaking lane is the lane on a multi-lane highway or motorway closest to the center of the road.”

The left lane then, I thought, was the lane to pass slower cars or drive faster.

This is no longer true.

The left lane is rapidly becoming the traffic lane or the slower lane. Much to my frustration and annoyance, I have come to see that more of my fellow motorists view it as simply another lane to drive in.

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