DO YOU KNOW THE __?__ PARKING LAWS?

“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Romans 7:12)

Back in the 1970s, Campus Crusade for Christ put out a very popular mini-booklet entitled, “Do You Know the Four Spiritual Laws?”.  I’m assuming it’s still available.  Evangelicals have given out millions of those mini-booklets over the years.  Billy Graham’s organization also put out their version of that booklet entitled, “Steps to Peace With God”.  Am I about to launch into an evangelistic sermon?  Actually, no- but maybe another time.  I just thought the title, “Do You Know the Four Spiritual Laws?” would make a great title to “tinker with” for my title of this piece.  Thus, I’m calling it “Do You Know the __?__ Parking Laws?”  I wanted to call it, “Do You Know the Four Parking Laws?” but I didn’t think that would be right because I have no idea HOW many parking laws there are!

You’ll find this is almost a “Part 2” to my piece entitled “The Preevate”; and in a sense it is, because once again I’m dealing with the topic of parking.  Yesterday morning, one of our church members and I went to the church building to do a quick project to help prevent water from coming in during the forecasted heavy wind and rain storm.  We each noticed that all of the vehicles parked on the even numbered side of South Street and on the even numbered side of Taylor Street were ticketed.  The church member (a Natick resident) was quite surprised when I told him there is no parking allowed on the even numbered side of Framingham streets during the winter months.  (Some years it’s the odd numbered side.)  He was also surprised that Framingham does not allow you to park on any street for more than two hours.  The big exception to that is where it’s posted “Resident Parking Only”, and you’d better BE a resident!

In fact, on my own street, cars are parked all over the even numbered side all the time, and all over Town, cars violate the two hour limit.  Frankly, they’re just rolling the dice!  In Framingham  USUALLY you can get away with that stuff, but if Parking Enforcement just happens to decide to pick YOUR street to enforce the regulations on, then you’re in trouble.

My hometown of Canton also has a two hour limit that most people don’t know about.  Canton also has a “no all night” parking rule, as does Framingham.  Again, unless it’s posted “Resident Parking Only” you cannot park on a Framingham street all night.  In fact, again, you can’t park on it for more than two hours at a time.  The entire state of Massachusetts does not allow parking within 20 feet of an intersection.  I see that done ALL the time, but it’s not allowed.

Yesterday’s MetroWest Daily News featured a front-page story showing that most average MetroWest residents are frankly ill- informed when it comes to what they know (or don’t know) about the United States Government.  Most, for instance, have no idea how many U.S. Senators there are.  Do you?  It’s 100.  Each state gets 2.  I hate to THINK what would happen if they had to be tested on their knowledge of parking laws!  Speaking of “THINK” that reminds me:  The Town of Needham once made the Reader’s Digest for its “Don’t Even THINK of Parking Here” signs!