If you thought that making sure there’s still water through our taps, or deciding if a casino will be built next door were the most important issues facing local government, you’d be wrong.
Wrong because some of the most passionate fights in any community come down to this: parking.
There’s something about the mix of our love for the automobile and our territorial instincts — buried not so deeply in our reptile brains — that has the ability to set off a firestorm.
Anyone who’s received a nasty windshield note about the appropriateness of their parking will understand the emotions at play here.
Last year’s turf war over parking in Deep Cove got so intense, a facilitated session — of the type usually reserved for the Greek financial crisis — had to be called.
Rarely is a parking fight solved without someone getting miffed.
Recently, a parking war has broken out in a city neighbourhood, with residents placing cones in front of their houses in an attempt to reserve spots.
Apparently some people think that when they buy a house they also buy the street and the sidewalk in front of it.
But it just isn’t so.
So once again, local government is looking at the issue. We hope saner heads will prevail over cone-headed moves.
Yes, walking a few blocks can be annoying but it won’t result in serious harm.
These are “First World problems,” and not worth a nasty fight in the bigger scheme of things.
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