MEGAN LEE Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 12:00 am
Hey Answer Girl -
I wonder why so many cars are parked on the wrong side of the street (driver's side wheel to the curb) in Casper. I don't see it in Laramie, Cheyenne or anywhere else. Is it legal, or are our police too busy to ticket them?
- Wondering in Casper
When I first moved to Casper, I was incredibly confused to find that cars parked on the right side of the street often faced me as I went down the road.
"Am I on the wrong side of the street?" I wondered. No, that's not it. "Am I traveling the wrong way down a one-way street?" I thought. Nope, this street is two-way.
Eventually, I figured out that people were simply parking the wrong way, and I just had to ignore those vehicles.
According to Peter Meyers, administrative analyst for the city, it is not, under any circumstances, legal to park your car on the wrong side of the street.
City ordinance 10.36.010 says that all cars must be parked "parallel with the edge of the roadway, headed in the direction of lawful traffic movement."
As for why the law isn't enforced, I would assume it's because the number of people in Casper so far outweigh the police and code enforcement officers.
With actual crime and serious offenses happening all the time, haphazardly parked cars probably take a back seat.
Hey Answer Girl -
Who sounds the siren every morning at 7 a.m.? Sounds like it comes from the northeast side of town. Is it the refinery? Been wondering for years.
- Vicki
That siren - or, as the workers of the Sinclair Little America Refinery in Evansville like to refer to it, that "whistle" - does come from the refinery!
At 7 a.m. every day, the whistle sounds to let employees know that work has begun.
Then the employees whistle while the work. (I made that part up.)
Answer Addition
Some readers were unsatisfied by an answer relating to police enforcement of motorcycle noise violations.
I said that police can't do anything about the noise because the city noise ordinance calls for 10 minutes of decibel reading before a ticket can be issued.
I should have added that although the police can't do anything about the ordinance, you can! Attend the next city council meeting or call your city council members and let them know you want the ordinance changed. They're always looking for community input on issues.
Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0589 or megan.lee@trib.com
Ask Answer Girl
Answer Girl tackles your questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit your questions by email to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at 266-0589. You can also write to Answer Girl, Box 80, 170 Star Lane, Casper, WY, 82602. Please allow several weeks for your questions to be answered.
Answer Girl tackles your questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit your questions by email to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at 266-0589. You can also write to Answer Girl, Box 80, 170 Star Lane, Casper, WY, 82602. Please allow several weeks for your questions to be answered.]]->