Don't be shocked if the electric-vehicle crowd gets touchy about its parking spaces

By adamg on Wed., 6/29/2016 - 8:44 pm

Matt Karolian spotted this note on the mirror of a gas guzzler parked in the space next to an electric-vehicle recharger at the South End Whole Foods. Either the note writer is from down South or was so annoyed he couldn't be bothered with the niceties of spelling.

Topics:

Driving

Neighborhoods:

South End

Free tagging:

Whole Foods

Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!

Ad:

Comments

She said to drive at an off

By DTP
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 9:26am

She said to drive at an off hour, or go by another mode besides driving.

I addressed both of those ideas - by pointing out the impracticality of biking or taking the T, and by pointing out that from my experience that lot is full right up until the store closes.

In my experience,

By boo_urns
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 2:45pm

The Somerville MB has parking from 7-9 PM on weekdays. It's not necessarily right next to the store, but the parking lot isn't that big. Those times are also the best to find yourself lucky enough to not have to wait in line at the deli counter. The closer to 9, the better. Also, they lock the doors at 9, but you're given a good 15 minute grace period to get your basket/carriage to the register.

Somerville Market Basket may

By Matt Frank
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 9:10am

Somerville Market Basket may run out of parking but I have never seen the Chelsea Market Basket run out of space... You may have to park on the outer edges of the lot the week of Thanksgiving but there are always spots! Although I have waited in line to enter the store because so many people are entering at once and there have been times when even with 60 registers running that I was standing in line that backed into the aisles.

Somerville Market Basket: I HATE that place!

By mplo
Fri, 07/01/2016 - 9:35am

The horrific parking situation there not withstanding, the aisles are quite narrow, and it's particularly crowded on weekends, plus the food is overrated.

I went there a couple of times, which was more than enough for me. I haven't gone back since.

I like it

By Michael
Fri, 07/01/2016 - 9:38am

Sometimes I want to simulate the "there's a blizzard coming tomorrow, also it's SuperBowl Sunday and Thanksgiving somehow all at the same time" feeling that you get at grocery stores in traumatic times, and Somerville MB is a great place to get that feeling all the time.

The rich South Enders..

By anon
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 7:38am

..drive 4 blocks from their underground parking condo to Whole Foods, waiting in a long line to get into the parking lot (engine running of course), buy their overpriced food and then drive back 4 blocks to their parking condo. They could walk but it's too much trouble and they might encounter an unwashed person or cause themselves to perspire.
It's all true.

Move to the suburbs

By fefu
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 8:45am

If parking is so important to you and your ilk, why don't you just move to the suburbs where there is a ton of parking?

Drive to the suburbs

By anon
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 9:16am

I don't understand why people complain about crowded stores and lots and fighting for a parking space at a nearby place when they are in a vehicle designed for long distances of travel.

Get on the highway, go outbound a few exits, and shop there.

Or even urban strip malls

By fefu
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 12:11pm

Both Assembly Row and South Bay Center have plenty of parking for those who are revolted by walking/cycling/public transit.

And who pays for the property

By Kinopio
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 5:34pm

And who pays for the property the parking spots go? Everyone, including the non lazy people who walk or bike. Those people shouldn't have to pay more to eat to subsidize entitled drivers.

It must burn

By Roman
Fri, 07/01/2016 - 10:26pm

each time even a single red cent of your tax dollars go's to pay for road maintenance, doesn't it.

But of course everyone else is supposed to shut up and pay their fair share for free stuff for "the poor."

Stereotype much?

By Arthur
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 9:52pm

I guess it's ok to assume that one who misspells words is from the South. If I were to point out commonly held beliefs that people from other area act in a certain manner, I'd risk being called a bigot. Did we forget about our responsibility to maintain sensitivity to our fellow humans?

Not quite

By adamg
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 10:30pm

I made the Southern connection because people south of the Mason-Dixon line sometimes pronounce the word "vehicle" as "vee-hick-il," which is how I might pronounce "vehical." It's kind of like the giant yellow ads all over South Station right now talk about Sprint being "smahhhht;" it's not that Bostonian don't know how to spell "smart," they just pronounce it differently.

So that's all I meant; no offense meant to Southerners.

Just making a point

By Arthur
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 11:30pm

I totally understood your shot at some humor. A little bit funny, actually. I was jokingly trying to point out how ridiculous people can be with all the sensitivity nonsense. Seriously, if you were to make sport of the way certain people talk, spell, drive, drink, etc., in this day and age, "I was only joking. I meant no offense..." Doesn't cut it anymore. Very ridiculous times we live in. I had my shot, so I took it. I meant no offense, Adam.

I'm a southerner

By polarbare
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 9:18am

with a master's degree from one of yall's yankeefied high falutin schools where I got me a proper learning, and I weren't affended.

Here's my chance!

By erik g
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 10:11am

To tell my favorite joke.

It seems that there was an Aggie who was visiting friends in New England during break, and his friend took him to a college mixer where students from the Ivies were present.

The Aggie, being an outgoing young man, approached a group of young women.

"Hey, ladies, where you go to school at?"

Frosty sigh. *eye roll* "Yale."

They Aggie shruged. "OK. WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL AT?"

Britches in a Twist Much?

By Jeff Foxworthy'...
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 10:58pm

Oh please, Southerners aren't offended at digs at our accent or our spelling prowess. Do you think we show up at Larry the Cable Guy's concerts and protest that he's perpetuating a stereotype?

(Git R DONE)

I agree

By Arthur
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 11:33pm

I agree with you. I just saw a shot to make a point of how ridiculous the sensitivity crowd can be so I figured I give them a little taste of their own medicine. Just having a little fun. Happy 4th(when it gets here).

I commented about the same

By anon
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 11:40pm

I commented about the same thing earlier. They pick and choose which comments they post, as mine didn't make it. Even independent media censors the truth

You want the truth?

By adamg
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 8:13am

No idea what your comment said, but I probably deleted it because it duplicated what somebody else said.

A joke purely about misspelling would a cheap, unfunny shot

By anon
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 7:25am

So when it turned out to be about a common southern pronunciation of vehicle, it made perfect sense.

Ceci n'est pas...

By PerryD
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 7:50am

Technically the note is true. It should read "THIS is not an electric vehical".

Man

By Michael
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 9:54pm

That car would be a perfect candidate to stick a couple of slices of bird-attracting bologna on top of, if only it weren't $34.99 a pound

Oh, artisanal bologna

By GoSoxGo
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 11:01pm

http://www.bkmag.com/2014/02/24/the-next-big-trend...

Getting ICEd

By Kaz
Wed, 06/29/2016 - 11:01pm

When an Internal Combustion Engine car fills an EV space, it's called getting ICE'd.

All an EV owner has to do is tell the manager and they use the PA to find the owner or have it towed. No note needed.

The idea of having "reserved"

By anon
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 12:31am

The idea of having "reserved" parking spaces (EV, expectant mothers, veteran, even handicap) breaks down when parking becomes scarce. They work okay at a suburban WalMart with a parking lot so huge that RV's can just park at the end and hang out. But in a crowded urban area where people have to circle like vultures to find a spot, they just waste valuable resources too much of the time.

The EV spot is not arbitrary

By BostonDog
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 8:39am

If the EV spot has a charging station that's the ONLY spot the person can park and charge. It's not like "families with children" spots in which the driver is no worse off parking elsewhere.

You don't have to charge an

By anon
Tue, 07/05/2016 - 3:15pm

You don't have to charge an EV every time you park it.

EVs are well-defined. But they're not always identifiable. And there's no law requiring them to have EV plates.

Other preferred parking spaces are a big grey area. Who exactly is allowed to use a fuel-efficient vehicle space? Just a Prius, or also a hybrid SUV? What about a small non-hybrid car that gets better gas mileage than the hybrid SUV? The only reason these exist is to get LEED jollies -- there's no proof they accomplish anything.

When it breaks down

By anon
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 8:54am

When people feel entitled to a piece of private property to store their private vehicle.

I'm a bit confused...

By anon
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 8:07am

I'm a bit confused. It looks like a space NEXT to a charger. And a non-EV car is parked in front of him too. There is no sign saying "EV parking," but I don't know what's painted on the ground.

So how is this wrong? Shouldn't an electric vehicle park in front of the charger?

No because chargers can

By Dot net
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 8:52am

No because chargers can sometimes support multiple plugs. That means they're in between spots because they can charge two vehicles or maybe even 4 at a time.

You just can't see the charger

By MattyC
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 9:11am

It's off frame, to the right, nestled next to planter bollards on either side. There are 4 EV spots there, with 2 dual-head chargers.

More first world

By bulgingbuick
Thu, 06/30/2016 - 10:19am

problems.

Seriously

By anon
Fri, 07/01/2016 - 10:08am

I mean, people complaining about grocery stores in the city not having enough parking, as if there ever could be enough parking AND still have that grocery store actually BE in the city.

Clearly blow ins who weren't around in the 90s when you had to leave the city to shop.

Don't be shocked if the electric-vehicle crowd gets touchy about its parking spaces

Comments

Pages

Add comment

Basic

Support Universal Hub