Logo
ISSUE #32.21 • NEWS • RIDE-ALONG
[NIGHT CABBIE]

Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!

Recently in "NIGHT CABBIE"
BY NIGHT CABBIE | nightcabbie at wweek dot com

[March 29th, 2006] Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!

I don't care if it's "just for a minute." Those zones are for your convenience, not ours. They're there so that you can unload your bags in front of the hotel under the awning. They're there so that you can easily find a cab in certain high-traffic areas. And the one at Lloyd Center is at this moment occupied by some selfish fucking SUV driver (yeah, I know that's redundant) who probably ran into Barnes and Noble "for just a second." But I have a call here, and the way the crosswalk and sidewalks are set up, there is no place for me to pull up so that I am visible through the mall doors without blocking every lane of traffic; there is a median that prevents them from simply going around me.

I pause as long as I can before the horns start. Naturally, the person is not waiting near the door, watching and ready to go. But they certainly notice when I have to drive away. And by the time I make it around the block again they have called my dispatcher to complain about my driving off without even giving them 30 seconds to get to the car—which I wouldn't have had to do had the taxi zone been available, now, would I?

Somehow I doubt my fare will find the fact that they spent a minute on hold to complain about a 30-second delay as amusing as I do, so I remain silent...












icon Story continues below

advertisement

advertisement

Rate This Story
Be the first to rate this story.

 
read all 3 comments | add your comment
 

RECENT COMMENTS ON “Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!”

1

Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!Suggestions to PDX city council on the SUV / Gas Guzzler issue: SUV's et al.: Institute a cross registration with the state identifying vehicles registed ...

Story Forum Archive, Mar 30th, 2006 12:00am
2

Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!I agree with you totally, have them towed, or ticketed. But I wish I would that taxis would stop parking in the fire zone. The next time my company has to r...

Story Forum Archive, Mar 31st, 2006 12:00am
3

Dammit, don't park in the taxi zones!I confess to using the fire zones, but I don't ever, ever leave my cab there longer than the ten seconds it takes to stick my head in the bar door and yell,...

Story Forum Archive, Apr 4th, 2006 12:00am
 
 
 





Recently in Willamette Week
December 31st 1969Washington State | The Canada of Oregon has it all—a Stonehenge replica, a longboarder's concrete wet dream and dark, damp underground lava caves. Vive les rocks.
December 31st 1969Oregon's Outer Edges | Crater Lake. Hell's Canyon. Wallowa and Steens mountain ranges. Hell, yeah.
December 31st 1969Central Oregon/High Desert | No rain, plenty of snow, obsidian flows and great local beer. The folks from the real eastside know how to unbend outside.
December 31st 1969Great Cascades/Columbia Gorge | With plenty of room to roam—and hot springs for your weary feet—it's the place to ramble and relax for the weekend.
December 31st 1969Willamette Valley | Monks, tracks, tubing and wine make the fertile strip a virile place to play.
December 31st 1969Stumptown | Tons of public parks, an extinct volcano and nude beach volleyball to keep you jolly. Get out and collect those merit badges, without leaving the city.
December 31st 1969The Coast | The beaches are public. You own them. Go play—hike in the old-growth forests.
December 31st 1969Cycle Tour 101: Your on-bike guide to Highway 101 | To ride the greatest bike route in Oregon, you need to get out of Portland.
December 31st 1969Doggin' It | What happens when a Portland running club jogs with pooches from the pound?
December 31st 1969Over the Edge | Sam Drevo will paddle yr ass.