Confusing rules and regulations as Phoenix got more crowded


One thing that everyone has always said about Phoenix, and has always been true, is how crowded it got over the years. And the crowding brought along a lot of confusing rules and regulations, which must have been frustrating for people who really never saw any reason for it. And as someone who's lived in crowded cities, like Los Angeles, it's been difficult for me to be sympathetic to people who can't seem to understand what seems to be basic rules of living in a crowded city. That is, until very recently.

I grew up in a very congested and crowded neighborhood in Minneapolis, with such tiny streets that you really had to watch very carefully what you were doing. If you just stopped on, for example, Bloomington Avenue, there would be no way for anyone to get around you, it was a two-way street, with traffic that was always coming the other way, and there were big snowbanks (most of the time) on the other side of the street. Oh, yeah, and there were always lots of complex signs that allowed parking at sometimes, but not others, to allow for the snowplows. We get a lot of snow in Minneapolis!

So when I moved to Phoenix, and especially Tempe where I went to ASU, I really had to trouble with the rules and regulations that I saw. If a sign said, "No Parking", I wouldn't park there. It seemed simple enough.

And my attitude toward people who didn't know what to do in a crowded city got even worse when I moved to Los Angeles. Every once in a while I would see someone, dazed and confused, blocking northbound traffic on Topanga, sitting across three lanes, waiting for a break in southbound traffic, so they could turn left. I was never a "road rage" person, but I would mutter to them under my breath, "You're in the city now!"

But in the past month or so I've developed a new sympathy towards people who can't seem to follow basic directions. It's July of 2020, during the Coronavirus situation, and there seems to be a new rule and regulation every time I go out. Grocery stores now have signs directing you to go just one way down an aisle, and I'm surprised at how often I get it wrong, even though I'm determined to get it right. There are signs for doors to go in, and doors to go out, even with arrows on the floor, and I turn towards the wrong door. I walked into Burger King this morning for some coffee, and my mask was still hanging on my ear, which I didn't realize until I ordered "Senior coffee, two Splendas" and my voice wasn't muffled. I quickly put the mask on, but I had still gotten a basic rule wrong.

So now I'm thinking about the number of new rules and regulations that hit Phoenix, especially after cars started becoming very popular. There were stop signs, and street signs, and people would get upset with you if you simply drove the wrong way down the street for just a few feet! And if you couldn't find a parking spot, you would just park your car next to another parked car, and then later on found out that there's a rule against double-parking! The list must have gone on and on, and I'm sure that you can think of a lot more.

Speaking for myself, I try hard to be good. I don't expect to be perfect, but I try darned hard. If I get something wrong, it's embarrassing, and I'm just glad that I didn't hurt anyone with my mistake. I try to make a note of what to do next, and mostly I try to stop and read the signs. I've always preferred living in the city, not out in the country, and that's part of the price I pay.
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Comments

  1. Maryvale ManJuly 25, 2020 at 3:32 PM

    " Every once in a while I would see someone, dazed and confused, blocking northbound traffic on Topanga, sitting across three lanes, waiting for a break in southbound traffic, so they could turn left. I was never a "road rage" person, but I would mutter to them under my breath, "You're in the city now!"
    Actually that was a legal turn in California. I muffed that on my driving license test in California in 1974. You were allowed to make your turn one lane at a time. You freed up the lane you were driving in sooner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brad HallJuly 25, 2020 at 3:57 PM

      Thank you! Yes, that's my point exactly! Over the years I've learned that people are doing the best they can, with what they know, and now I give the benefit of the doubt, and hope that people will do the same for me.

      Delete

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