Same TV station. Same van. Same place. Different day. Here is Unit 80 of the KDKA news team set up again right in the middle of the Eliza Furnace Trail when they could have moved 10 feet in any of a number of directions and not been in the way. Couldn't tell who the reporter was loitering in the passenger seat, waiting for the time to go his shpiel in with the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts as the backdrop, but we wafed to me after seeing my take a picture of the van and ride by.

Next time I think I'll go up to them and remind them that motorized vehicles are not permitted on the trail.

I've actually seen a news van parked here on several occasions. On this one, KDKA TV Unit 80 was blocking the trail when they could have moved 10 feet in any of a number of directions and not done so. The cameraman was in the back while newscaster Bob Allen (I assume, because the KDKA website indicates Bob is the only black male working the morning shift) was dozing in the passenger seat.

PA YMV-5092
06:22 24 April 2008

I don't ride over to the South Side very often but every time I do, there is invariably a bike lane parking moron parked at the end of the South Side trail near the cement plant. In this case, in addition to the Toyota Land Cruiser parked right in the bike lane, there were two other cars parked in the "No Parking" zone. Ironically, there are three "No Parking" signs, one for each vehicle.

16:46, 31 March 2008

A Red Chevy Equinox L5 parked at the end of the South Side Trail when it connects with 4th Street. Again, 50 feet away there is plenty of parking available. It's permit parking but it strikes me that the parking is for the nearby business that this "guest" is visiting.

16:45 10 October 2007

This red Chevy S-10 Blazer is sitting right in the middle of the South Side bike trail as it exits onto the end of South 4th Street before crossing the railroad tracks. There are plenty of opportunities to park further east (in fact, there is a parking lot specifically for that purpose not 50 feet away).

4:51pm, 5 October 2007

Pittsburgh doesn't have much in the way of bike lanes, though that is beginning to change. I didn't want to have this site be completely empty so I'm posting a photo of this Mazda 3 blocking the end of the Panther Hollow Trail in Oakland.

First off, there was the sign a few hundred feet back that said that this was a private driveway and there was no parking. Next, it was a closed gate, which should give someone a clue that maybe they shouldn't park there. Third, it's a bike trail so there are going to be plenty of bicycles going by. Why park almost directly in the way of where the traffic is going to be moving when, if you still want to be a moron, you can park a yard or two to the left and at least keep your pretty car away from the potential for dings and scratches?

All that being said, some offended cyclist had left a huge spitwad on the passenger window to show his displeasure. This sort of behavior only compounds the situation. The parking pinhead will feel justified in causing trouble for "those damn cyclists."