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ISSUE #32.21 • NEWS • RIDE-ALONG
NIGHT CABBIE

Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!

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BY NIGHT CABBIE | nightcabbie at wweek dot com

[March 29th, 2006] Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!

I don't care if it's "just for a minute." Those zones are for your convenience, not ours. They're there so that you can unload your bags in front of the hotel under the awning. They're there so that you can easily find a cab in certain high-traffic areas. And the one at Lloyd Center is at this moment occupied by some selfish fucking SUV driver (yeah, I know that's redundant) who probably ran into Barnes and Noble "for just a second." But I have a call here, and the way the crosswalk and sidewalks are set up, there is no place for me to pull up so that I am visible through the mall doors without blocking every lane of traffic; there is a median that prevents them from simply going around me.

I pause as long as I can before the horns start. Naturally, the person is not waiting near the door, watching and ready to go. But they certainly notice when I have to drive away. And by the time I make it around the block again they have called my dispatcher to complain about my driving off without even giving them 30 seconds to get to the car—which I wouldn't have had to do had the taxi zone been available, now, would I?

Somehow I doubt my fare will find the fact that they spent a minute on hold to complain about a 30-second delay as amusing as I do, so I remain silent...












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RECENT COMMENTS ON “Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!”

1

Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!Suggestions to PDX city council on the SUV / Gas Guzzler issue: SUV's et al.: Institute a cross registration with the state identifying vehicles registed ...

Story Forum Archive, Mar 30th, 2006 12:00am
2

Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!I agree with you totally, have them towed, or ticketed. But I wish I would that taxis would stop parking in the fire zone. The next time my company has to r...

Story Forum Archive, Mar 31st, 2006 12:00am
3

Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!I confess to using the fire zones, but I don't ever, ever leave my cab there longer than the ten seconds it takes to stick my head in the bar door and yell,...

Story Forum Archive, Apr 4th, 2006 12:00am
 
 
 





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