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'Learn How to Park' Note Found on Scratched Car

Two cars were found with scratches on two separate occasions on Park and Maple Street.

 

Police are investigating the vandalism of a car parked on Park Street with a handwritten note left behind, police said.

A couple in their early 30s parked their Ford Fusion on August 21 in a condominium complex and, by 4 p.m., found a note on the vehicle indicating that they should park the car in a way that would allow passersby to walk unobstructed, said Sgt. Carol Ogrinc.

The couple then found a scratch on the right, rear quarter panel and across to the rear door, damage that was estimated to cost $500, said Ogrinc.

Two days prior, on August 20, a 22-year-old New York City woman parked her BMW at Maple and South center school parking lot at 7:43 a.m. and, upon her return at 5:50 p.m., discovered scratches on the driver’s side front and rear doors and fender quarter panel, said Ogrinc.

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Glen K Dunbar August 28, 2012 at 01:23 pm
I'll give you all a hint. First, when I park in a regular lot I try to park way at the end and park so I can drive out. I try to center myself too. I'd rather walk a few steps more than have problem w/car. Also, I do not parrallel at all. Never could. Thankfully the DMV and Police do not know I can't parrallel. I was never tested on that back then. I got VERY lucky
J Bauer August 28, 2012 at 01:46 pm
Incompetent driving is a bigger issue than parking. A bad parking job is annoying, but there are so many drivers in town that need to go back to driver's ed for a few lessons. Here are some tips for the less able drivers in New Canaan
1. Do not stop at a green light intersection to "wave by" someone who is trying to turn from a side street. You are giving up the right of way and screwing up traffic 2. Do not "wave by" multiple cars turning onto Main from a parking lot, causing the cars behind you to miss a green light. 3. Stop signs are not optional because you are on your cell phone 4. If you cannot see over the steering wheel of your vehicle, you shouldnt be driving it 5. It is not acceptable to stop your car in the middle of a double yellow lined street to say hello to your jogging friend or neighbor 6. In general, forfeiting your right of way at stop signs and intersections is not polite... it is confusing. At minimum you are being rude to the drivers behind you, at worst you are going to cause an accident. If you have an unfulfilled need for people to think you are kind and considerate, consider seeking professional help instead.
marilyn August 28, 2012 at 02:21 pm
Thnak you JBauer for your comments----it drives me crazy when people do the go-ahead-wave thing to try and give me the right of way when it's theirs. I always tell my kids to drive according to the law, not according to what some other driver is trying to get you to do---maybe they think they are being helpful it's not helping.
marilyn August 28, 2012 at 02:23 pm
Adding: they are the same drivers who stop and encourage us to cross against the light at South & Cherry or Park and Pine---thank you, but I am waiting for the pedestrian signal!
NC resident August 28, 2012 at 02:49 pm
I live by the rule that a pedistrian always has the right of way.
CT Girl August 28, 2012 at 03:09 pm
love it!
Hollywood2 August 28, 2012 at 03:09 pm
Unless they are J-Walking across Elm while talking on their phone sipping their latte.
Then its open season!
CT Girl August 28, 2012 at 03:11 pm
LOL :)
Glen K Dunbar August 28, 2012 at 03:37 pm
I agree that Pedestrian ALWAYS has right of way. Yet, I have heard Police sold people who are walking. In Greenwich they have Police all over to boss the walkers
GLEN
Lisa August 28, 2012 at 03:59 pm
Good list J Bauer. The stopping in the middle of street to talk is the one that always annoys me to no end. It is especially prevalent this time of year.
People -- don't stop in the middle of Elm Street to tell Ashley about your summer vacation in the South of France or celebrate that your kids are back to school and you can get back to your Pilates class. It's just rude.
Glen K Dunbar August 28, 2012 at 04:57 pm
I have to say that I see this all the time in town. Sorry. But, to me it is another demerrit for this town
GLEN
Hollywood2 August 28, 2012 at 04:58 pm
Is that the blonde chick who wears a white tennis outfit everyda?y. Either she is a very good,tennis player or very odd.
0ops, just descibed 25% of the chicks in town
Greenhill August 28, 2012 at 05:03 pm
In Connecticut the pedestrian does not ALWAYS have the right of way which is a common mistake;
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ps97/rpt/olr/htm/97-r-0173.htm Just because you cross a street in and especially outside of a crosswalk does not mean a pedestrian always has the right of way.
Big Willy August 28, 2012 at 07:33 pm
Patch: Breaking News!
Curiosity, NASA's Mars rover was vandalized while parked overnight. Along with a bent antennae, and scratches, someone left a note that read, learn how to park!
W. H. Taylor August 29, 2012 at 02:10 am
7. When the obstruction is on your side of the street, YOU are supposed to wait behind the obstruction until oncoming traffic has passed. You don't pull out around the obstruction because you got there first or have a bigger car.
Emily Constance (Editor) August 29, 2012 at 03:05 am
Our first encounter with Martians isn't quite as dramatic as I imagined...
Chow mein August 29, 2012 at 04:22 am
What about the idiots who park diagonally across two spots? It seems to me that some person is dissatisfied with how parking rules are enforced. There is no shortage of rude and selfish people in New Canaan. Unfortunately, by administering vigilante justice this person has become a criminal. There must be zero tolerance of illegal activities! Release the dogs, Igor!
Heywood Smith August 29, 2012 at 04:11 pm
Nice list, thanks J Bauer! Agree! Know and Follow the rules of the road and right of way. Playing After you Gaston. No, after you Anton just creates confusion, slows people down, and increases potential for accidents.
I will add In town: Honk only when absolutely necessary to avoid an incident, not to hurry someone up Use your turn signals No tailgating Slow down and go wide to pass pedestrians, bikers and folks at their mailboxes On the Parkway: No prohibited vehicles.Commercial trucks, or trailers No tailgating Don't be the slow car in the left lane Shift to the left lane to give people entering from the right room. If you are in the left lane, accommodate someone trying to do that Use your hazard lights liberally to warn of abrupt slowdowns Thanks
Lisa August 29, 2012 at 04:47 pm
And stay off my lawn.
J Bauer August 29, 2012 at 05:43 pm
Going slow in the left lane is maddening!!!! The left lane is for PASSING!!! Good one.
David Gurliacci (Editor) August 30, 2012 at 01:10 am
No fair that Martians would then come to New Canaan before anywhere else on earth. No fair. Shoulda been Darien.
(Where we could teach the Martians a few things about vandalizing. ...)
Craig Zac September 5, 2012 at 11:50 am
... it sounds to me like they can drive ok, its the parking that they hare having a problem with. lol I agree though, some folks just cant get it, maybe they should have general parking practices on the driving tests.
Craig Zac September 5, 2012 at 11:57 am
J..I agree 100%.. and ill add:
Learn the ruls of a 4 way stop. first to arrive, first to go! No exceptions! A traffic circle does not mean you do not need to wait for oncoming cars.. that YEILD sign is there for a reason! turning off a main street onto a side street in a car should not take more than 2 or 3 seconds... coming to an almost complete stop is unaceptable!
Craig Zac September 5, 2012 at 12:01 pm
I think that parking lots have now been designed for small little cars. Go to a big store and it seems the lines for parking are now alot smaller either due to the store wanting to be able to cram more cars in the lot or just because cars are alot smaller now.either way, it stinks for thoseof us with SUV's or full size pick up trucks. I have a full size ford F150 and its like driving a limo through a maze.
Fairfield Resident September 5, 2012 at 06:26 pm
Uhhhh.......No they don't!
If they are at a crosswalk controlled by a traffic signal (light). They have to WAIT until the light turns green or the pedestrian signal is lit BEFORE they can cross the road. So many idiots think they can just walk out into a crosswalk and expect cars that have the light / right of way and are driving along at 25-40MPH will stop for them. Good luck with that. Hopefully you will never have to be scraped off the road. Idiots.
Siwanoy September 13, 2012 at 08:44 pm
@Greenhill,
According to the link you provided, as long as your in a crosswalk you ALWAYS have the right of way (except of course for emergency vehicles with lights and or sirens on.)
Siwanoy September 13, 2012 at 08:45 pm
forgot to include the quote from the link, my mistake, here it is:
"If a pedestrian is at the curb of or in a crosswalk all vehicles must slow down or stop to allow him to reach either the opposite side of the street or a “safety zone.”"
Susie Ess October 22, 2012 at 05:55 pm
This isn't about poor driving skills or poorly architected parking lots. Those are separate problems. The problem in this story is with people who actually think it's okay to fight poor driving/parking skills by vandalizing someone's property! Call the police, leave a nasty note, whatever; but causing damage to someone else's property doesn't make you better than the idiot who can't drive. It makes you far worse and, in my opinion, someone who shoud spend a night in jail.
Craig Zac October 22, 2012 at 06:07 pm
lol..I figure it this way: Whats the difference in who has the right of way? if some meat suit decides he's gonna walk out in front of a moving car because he has "Right of way", its not going to matter to him because he will be splattered across the road. So, right of way is like, just a theory really. Remember, when you cross the road in traffic, you put your life into the hands of some complete stranger who is in control or possibly, not in control of over two tons of steel. If you think you can take the hit, go ahead and exercise that "right of way" rule..lol
Craig Zac October 22, 2012 at 06:10 pm
yeah, scratching the car was probably taking things a bit too far but I guess some folks are just more angry than others.
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Thomas Paine June 18, 2013 at 01:46 pm
Why is it the panel for this event does not include a single advocate for gun-owners' rights? WithRead More all due respect to Chief McNamara, why does the panel no include a person who can speak to gun safety from a gun-owning civilian's perspective? ML, you claim that the assembled folks "do not offer judgements about gun ownership" but they are not including a single voice that can offer perspective on gun ownership. I have been to "education" sessions sponsored by Meg's March for Change and they are one-sided indoctrinations into gun control advocacy. >>>> I was in Hartford for the public hearings in January when both Meg and March co-founder Nancy gave their personal testimonies and they all but threatened the legislators on the panel with election day retribution for all those who did not tow the gun-control line of thinking (i.e. March and CAGV). To suggest that Meg "does not offer judgements" if fallacious at best, disingenuous at worst.
Penny Riordan June 10, 2013 at 01:00 pm
Sorry Elmcrest! We don't like the spam either! As Lisa said, our engineers are working hard toRead More prevent those spammers from attacking our 900+ sites across the country.
Elmcrest June 11, 2013 at 07:45 am
Good luck! Just today, Tuesday, June 11, there have been over 350 of those spam posts since 3:30 AM,Read More and it’s not even 8:00 AM yet!
Ed Smith June 13, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Yup, "US Open Golf" is doing it right now, posting a new blog every 2 minutes.
Diane McEvoy June 18, 2013 at 09:48 am
US Representative Larson is now on board, which leaves Rep. DeLauro and Senator Murphy. Neither ofRead More their staffers are forthcoming about why they have not co-sponsored. Please call their DC offices and urge them to stop up. Murphy has supposedly received only 40 calls on the subject.
monique thomas June 7, 2013 at 05:14 pm
Unknown to most parents, children’s data is being shared beyond the school district with sixRead More agencies inside the Utah Data Alliance and UTREX, according to Utah Technology Director John Brandt. The student data is further being “mashed” with federal databases, according to federal Education Dept. Chief of Staff Joanne Weiss: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2012/07/ed_urges_states_to_make_data_s.html While John Brandt assures us that only a handful of people in Utah have access to the personally identifiable data of children, recent alterations to federal FERPA (Famly Education Rights Privacy Act) regulations which were made by the U.S. Dept of Education, have radically redefined terms and widened the window of groups who can access private data without parental consent. For more on that, see the lawsuit against the U.S. Dept of Education on the subject: http://epic.org/apa/ferpa/default.html But first, an interjection: I want to introduce this article: http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/your-students-privacy/ I like this article because it exposes the facts plainly, that parents are unaware that their children’s information is being shared without parental permission, beyond the school, beyond the district, and even beyond the state. It is verifiable and true. What it means: Courses taken, grades earned, every demographic piece of information, including family names and income, is being watched by the U.S. government via schools. Verify for yourself: The U.S. Dept. of Education’s own explanation is here, showing why SLDS systems exist: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/slds/factsheet.html
Tasin Sumaia June 9, 2013 at 01:55 pm
http://directwatchliveonline.blogspot.com/2013/06/watch-france-vs-brazil-livestream-online.html
1CarGarageinNC June 6, 2013 at 06:16 pm
Why does ANY of this surprise you? You can take the man out of Chicago... Where is the outrageRead More across the land? Why do we sheepishly respond to these multiple malfeasances? Obama will stay in office and do what he wants until 2016 for one reason. Two words. President Biden.
Glen K Dunbar June 7, 2013 at 02:49 pm
I have and always will respect whoever our Pres was/is and will be. Is one person over the otherRead More really going to change my life?? NOPE. I am still going to be spinning my wheels in poverty. As for IRS> I think IRS should be closed too. Nobody wants to pay taxes. Why can't the Govt just print more money Problem solved!! Also, USA needs to stop wasting money overseas and take care of our own...like my bail out
Marie-Pierre Graf June 5, 2013 at 04:55 pm
I feel so blessed to have had those 37 great young people in my life for the last 3 years! I willRead More miss them so much!
Four Jacks June 7, 2013 at 03:49 pm
Really, why even have a tab called "news"' it's all fluff for the mat part.
Four Jacks June 7, 2013 at 03:49 pm
Most part.
Elmcrest June 7, 2013 at 11:50 pm
Well, Patch does have this going for it: hundreds of semi-literate spam phishing posts per hourRead More about televised international soccer matches from multiple fake posters. Hundreds! Reading Patch is like walking through the ruins of a once thriving metropolis.