From: erd@kumiss.cmhnet.org (Ethan Dicks)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Pennsic Town Car parking fiasco (was "Smelly steel wagons at Pennsic")
Date: 31 Aug 92 02:51:58 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Not an Organization

In article <1992Aug28.174414.17691@access.digex.com> corun@access.digex.com (Corun MacAnndra) writes:
>Unto the Gentles of the Rialto does Corun MacAnndra send greetings.
>
>I have been following this thread for some time now and have heard some
>good ideas and some bad ones. I have also heard alot of rancor. I have 
>not heard any mention of the Town Car parking lot that was set up.

I mentioned it several days ago.  I said it was a good idea which was
badly mismanaged.

>This was done so that camps with 30 or more people could designate one car
>for town runs and be able to park reasonably close to the Serengeti. The
>designated car was given a blue tag to replace the yellow one received
>at Troll upon entry to Pennsic. The tag was transferrable so that one car
>did not have to bear the brunt of constant journies to town, and if this
>was done then a new yellow tag was issued to the previous car. Very large
>signs were set up at the entrances to the areas, roped off with blue
>tape, showing that these parking spaces were for Town Cars only. Still
>many yellow tagged cars were there. I corrected one woman who was about
>to park her van in the Town Car lot, and reported several others to
>Security so the owners could be tracked down and their cars moved before
>towing.

I, too, warned off people with yellow tags whenever I was coming or
going.  It didn't help much.

If there were *any* cars towed, I would like to know.  I and several others
complained to Gavin, Kyle and various volunteers staffing the security
tent about the number of yellow tags in the town car area.  The first two
days, Gavin told me, "Some people snuck in before we set up the blue tape.
We are looking for them and will ask that they move."  Several days later,
all I could get from Kyle was, "We're doing the best we can."  Well, it
seems that "they" (whomever Kyle ment by "we") can do nothing!  Another
driver of the town car complained about the situation to Gavin as he was
walking back to camp from across the ridge.  Gavin reportedly said, "What
do want me to do about it?", and putted away before a response could be
issued.

>For those camps that had them I believe this idea worked well.

Horsehockey!  After Wednesday, I was unable to find any spaces in the town
car lot for the town car I was using.  I ended up personally paying for
"Closer Shaded Parking" so that I didn't have to park over the ridge with
its BLUE car tag.  The town car was driven by myself and several others on
nearly a daily basis.  It ferried various people to various errands in
several cities.  There were some days where the town car left site more
than once.  I think that the town car lot is a good idea.  It needs to be
adequately enforced.  The yellow parking tags say on the back that
improperly parked cars may be towed.  Cars with yellow tags in the town
car lot were (by the rules published in the large Pennsic booklet available
to all attendees) not properly parked.  They should have been towed.  I
am not aware of any such occurences.  Is anyone else aware of any?

I think that I am most annoyed by the fact that there were two sets of
inconsiderations.  The first inconsiderations were performed by the people
who felt that their own convenience was important enough to inconvenience
others.  The second were performed by the Autocrat and the Head of Security
who appeared to feel that it was important not to inconvenience the people
who were violating the rules, punishing those of us who tried to play by
those same rules.

If you just plain can't make it work, take down the markers and post a
sign saying that the system was abandoned due to an inability to follow
through.  Don't try and pretend that all is well when it is not.

Eadred AEthellystan
Saxon at Large

--
Ethan Dicks     N8TVD ! This message is brought to you by the breakfast cereal
erd@kumiss.cmhnet.org ! of Pennsic Veterans everywhere: Beerios.
Eadred AEthellystan   ! "They don't stay crisp in beer, but who cares?" 
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