1 min readBy Published On: October 10th, 2017Categories: News59 Comments on Sea of Tickets on Marine Road

That’s no way to start off a work week!  On Tuesday morning, Marine Road area residents woke up to parking tickets on their windshields.  Why? Because someone ratted them out on 311.  A neighbor took to the 311 app – not to complain about out of state plates, or someone parked on a cross walk but to complain that people where parked the wrong way on a two way street.  Yes, that’s right.  We know everyone does it all the time.  But not on this guy’s watch!

Granted, it’s illegal to park the wrong direction on a street but to call out your neighbors for this infraction is really just jerk-like behavior.  Here’s the 311 report below:

Clearly this person has some pent up frustration and anger towards his neighbors especially when it comes cars all going in the proper direction.  To take the time to fill out the 311 app for this type of harmless violation,  earns this Southie neighbor the “Jerk of the Day” award. 

And how about this gem that someone submitted but of course was quickly taken down by 311:

 

59 Comments

  1. Yuppie with no puppy October 10, 2017 at 8:25 am - Reply

    I will say on some of the smaller roads when people park the wrong way and I take a turn down that road I sometimes still get a inkling IM driving the wrong way. I’ve been here for 10 years and still get this inkling from time to time. Also I have found it funny that they ticket for everything and anything over the years but never this. Also, no I wasn’t the jerk that ratted on anyone.

  2. Mike October 10, 2017 at 8:29 am - Reply

    Actually, illegal wrong way parking creates a serious safety hazard. When cars are parked in the wrong direction, it gives a false visual cue to drivers turning onto a street, perhaps incorrectly assuming the street is a one way street when cars are parked in the same direction on both sides. It is lazy, dangerous, arrogant behavior and your blog post only reinforces the ignorance. IT’S WRONG to park this way; how difficult is it to do it correctly instead???

    • Scott October 10, 2017 at 3:23 pm - Reply

      Yes, it is also a safety hazard when people are parking or pulling out of the space. When parking they have to pull up to the car in front of the space which means they are pulling up and driving on the wrong side of the road. And if they are doing this close to an intersection, someone turn onto the road and run into them while they are on the wrong side. I’ve had this almost happen when I turned onto a street. Also, when pulling out of the space, unless they are in a giant SUV, they don’t have as clear of a view to see if anyone is coming at them when they pull out on the wrong side of the road. I don’t know why more tickets aren’t issued because of this. It is a safety hazard. If it wasn’t, then it wouldn’t be an enforceable violation! And no, I don’t live near Marine Road so I did not report it.

      • Diane October 11, 2017 at 11:23 pm - Reply

        Get off your cellphone and pay attention to the road stupid

      • Emily October 13, 2017 at 9:47 am - Reply

        Agree! I was biking on E 7th (along with the flow of traffic) a few days ago and a car parked in the wrong direction pulled out of their spot quickly and almost nailed me head-on.

        • Diane October 14, 2017 at 1:33 pm - Reply

          We grew up watching out for cars when we rode our bikes. Please we have other things going on I our lives to worry about Petty waist of time tickets I promise I will watch out for bikes when I drive my car

    • Rooney October 21, 2017 at 7:26 am - Reply

      Very true…it throws me off when trying to park ….born and raised in South it and yes this is very irritating!

  3. Mary October 10, 2017 at 8:47 am - Reply

    I’m really disappointed by your post. There is no reason to be calling one of our neighbors “the jerk of the day.” – especially when what they did was actually legal and totally within their right. It’s outright bullying

    • Typical Millennnnnnnnial October 10, 2017 at 10:32 am - Reply

      Agreed. The city clearly doesn’t have the resources to police the minutiae around these parts. Everyone would be breaking every rule if it weren’t for people speaking up. It’s a core part of social responsibility. While were calling people out, could people please pick up their dog crap? You wouldn’t leave your infants poop on the street would you? It’s no different.

    • Ken October 17, 2017 at 10:53 am - Reply

      You must be one of those politically correct yuppies that invaded Southie several years ago and now think you own it. This is the way we’ve been doing things for years so if you don’t like it then move back to Newton, Brookline, Wellesley or what ever yuppie haven you come from. This goes for you as well , Nick Says.

  4. Bryan October 10, 2017 at 9:48 am - Reply

    You people need thicker skin, “it’s outright bullying”…give me a break. The person who reported this is definitely a jerk. One way streets in Southie are clearly marked, if you don’t notice them you probably shouldn’t be driving or you’re going too fast.

    • Lauren October 10, 2017 at 12:00 pm - Reply

      Calling someone a jerk isn’t bullying. Clearly you have never been bullied in your life.

      • Bryan October 11, 2017 at 10:50 am - Reply

        Just calling someone a jerk in one instance is bullying? Grow up!!

        • mplo October 15, 2017 at 12:08 pm - Reply

          In both instances, it depends on why one calls another person a jerk.

          If the person being called a jerk does something stupid and irresponsible that endangers other people, then he or she deserves to be called a jerk.

          If, on the other hand, someone calls another person a jerk when they clearly don’t deserve it (i. e. if s/he has done or said nothing wrong, or just for being different in some way or other.), then that is sort of bullying somebody.

  5. Pat S October 10, 2017 at 9:48 am - Reply

    Once again Maureen cares more about being a gossip girl who takes all her material from Southie Community Bulletin Board, than the safety of the drivers and kids who play in the street!

    Sad to think that obeying the law gets you outed as a “jerk”. Hmmm guess if I saw a vehicle theft or murder I should not report it either.

    The nerve…

  6. Nick October 10, 2017 at 10:01 am - Reply

    Finally!!! I’ve been trying to figure out why this practice is tolerated in Southie since moving here several years ago. Parking in the wrong direction is dangerous for a whole bunch of reasons, most of which have already been discussed in previous comments. People frequently drive the wrong way down my one-way street and I’m convinced that parking the wrong way is at least partially to blame. In every other part of the City (if not the country), you can safely assume that you are approaching a one-way street if the cars on the corner are facing the same direction. Not so in South Boston, which makes driving around our neighborhood a bit of a guessing game, especially for people who don’t live in the neighborhood (visitors, ubers, contractors, etc.).

    More problematic is the message this sends that traffic and parking laws are not going to be enforced. We are all free to make up our own rules (and we do) because South Boston will have a collective temper tantrum if anyone tries to tell “us” what to do.

  7. Andy October 10, 2017 at 10:24 am - Reply

    Disagree with the folks who are supporting this neighbor. Obviously nobody should be parking the wrong way on a one-way street. That’s not the issue here. Regarding cars being parked facing the opposite direction on a two-way street:
    1) You’re supposed to use traffic signs to determine whether a street is one-way or two-way. Not the direction of the parked cars on it. All one-way streets are marked with one-way signs and/or do-not-enter signs at their entrances and exits.
    2) Just because a law exists against parking this way doesn’t mean that the law is a good law. When laws are arbitrary, don’t serve any good, are unnecessary, or petty, they are bad laws. Bad laws should not be enforced. So whether or not it was legal to ticket these people is not the issue here either, but rather whether or not people should be ticketed for this kind of thing in the first place. I say “no”.

    • Typical Millennnnnnnnial October 10, 2017 at 12:49 pm - Reply

      Law is law. If you think they’re “bad” or “unnecessary” or “petty” then go talk to your local representative & get a group of people who agree so the law is changed. Doing nothing & then condoning breaking the law because “it’s practical” is what makes our society so effed up to begin with.

      • Nick October 10, 2017 at 1:22 pm - Reply

        Agreed.

        The only reason this is a problem is because you have to worry about some jerk stealing a spot while you make a three-point turn to park in the proper direction (i.e., legally). This has happened to me a bunch of times. In the 10 seconds it takes to turn around, someone else comes along and parks illegally because they don’t have to worry about getting a ticket. The result: everyone parks the wrong way whenever it suits them because they’ll probably lose the spot if they try to do the right thing.

      • Andy October 11, 2017 at 3:15 pm - Reply

        How would you know I’ve done nothing to combat bad laws? That’s an unsubstantiated claim.

        “Law is law” – I disagree. That something is a law is not a sufficient reason to obey it. I condone breaking any law that I consider a bad law, for reasons I’ve already mentioned. I think it’s pretty self-evident from the record of history that many bad laws have come to exist , and that individuals who obeyed them did so justifiably.

        The subject of why our society is “so effed up to begin with” is a pretty subjective statement and beyond the scope of the comment section of an internet article. But for the record, I disagree with you that this is the source of society’s ills, in general.

        Nor did I ever use the word “practical” as a reason for breaking a law. That is a mis-characterization of my position.

        • Andy October 11, 2017 at 3:15 pm - Reply

          *disobeyed

    • mplo October 15, 2017 at 11:50 am - Reply

      Yes. All one-way streets have a “do not enter” sign(s) for preventing people from driving into those particular streets the wrong way.

      Unless there is a one-way arrow sign, and a “Do not enter” sign on a given street or streets, one should always assume that it’s a two-way street.

      Parking on the wrong side of a street that’s clearly a two-way street, however, is absolutely ludicrous, dangerous and irresponsible. People who do that, regardless of who or where they are put other people in danger, whether they’re other auto drivers or bicyclists.

  8. DJ October 10, 2017 at 10:53 am - Reply

    For Chrissake don’t people have anything else going on in their lives than to get fetched up over which direction we park?

    • Diane October 12, 2017 at 4:51 pm - Reply

      I agree this is rediculous

    • mplo October 15, 2017 at 11:51 am - Reply

      People should be concerned about which direction in which they park, because parking the wrong way on a street is dangerous, particularly on a two-way street,

  9. J October 10, 2017 at 11:26 am - Reply

    How hard is it to just park in the correct direction???????

  10. Bobby Filitini October 10, 2017 at 12:09 pm - Reply

    The wrong direction parking doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is when drivers crossover to park when there is on-coming traffic.

    While we are at it, we need to paint lines for two-way streets

    • Diane October 12, 2017 at 4:52 pm - Reply

      That would mean higher taxes

      • Bobby Filitini October 15, 2017 at 12:05 pm - Reply

        You must not know how finance works

  11. Maria October 10, 2017 at 12:30 pm - Reply

    Ridiculous………once again . Probably a new arrival that thinks everything has to be perfect. Parking everywhere in Southie is hard enough without people having a fit if you are parked the wrong way on a 2 way street. I agree it’s unsafe on a one way but on a 2 way, get a life.! When people come home from work etc they are relieved that they can even find a spot, so stop being a complainer. You know the saying if it’s too hot in the kitchen , leave

  12. Change is coming October 10, 2017 at 2:22 pm - Reply

    Southie is going to change so get over it. The law is the law here. This isn’t the wild Wild West, whitey isn’t relevant, and rent isn’t cheap anymore. Time to stop complaining and just take it for what it is.

    • Diane October 12, 2017 at 4:53 pm - Reply

      Leave then

  13. Me October 10, 2017 at 3:06 pm - Reply

    Marine Road doesn’t go down to O St.

  14. Paul.z October 11, 2017 at 9:43 am - Reply

    We have been doing this for over 50 years since the roads were dirt roads,the person who called,is probably someone who bought a place down there and is trying to unchange something that’s been there for a hundred years,as for it being dangerous don’t know of any accident s that happened the way it’s been for 100 years so stop calling the city on hard working people of s.b.we already pay high taxes ect.if you don’t like it sell your place and move to Sharon ma.they will welcome you there with open arms leave southie alone

    • Typical Millennnnnial October 11, 2017 at 3:21 pm - Reply

      Preach man, I wish all you boomers moved to Sharon.

      • Diane October 12, 2017 at 4:54 pm - Reply

        Move to Roxbury then

    • Ken October 17, 2017 at 11:12 am - Reply

      Well put Paul Z. Let those liberal yuppie pansy ass jerk offs kiss our southie asses. If they don’t like it here then move back to their fantasy world cities that they left.

  15. Donna Morris October 11, 2017 at 10:16 am - Reply

    Wow so glad I don’t live in southie anymore, too many changes

    • Ken October 17, 2017 at 11:13 am - Reply

      Yeah Donna Morris, and not for the better.

  16. Bryan October 11, 2017 at 10:54 am - Reply

    Typical Millennium and the rest of the snowflakes on here should go start your own blog instead of harassing Maureen every time she posts an article.

    • Typical Millennnnnial October 11, 2017 at 3:26 pm - Reply

      A public comment section is a public comment section. She has the power to moderate the comments & chooses to let them fly. She could close the comments whenever she likes, take it up with her.

      • Maureen Dahill October 11, 2017 at 3:35 pm - Reply

        Yes, I live to post angry comments. I especially love when people call me out personally and use disparaging remarks about me!

        • Bryan October 11, 2017 at 4:01 pm - Reply

          The first site I’ll check when I get into work is Caught in Southie. Thanks for your articles and the time you put into this site Maureen!.

          • Maureen Dahill October 12, 2017 at 4:59 pm

            Thank you Bryan! I appreciate it!

        • Diane October 12, 2017 at 4:56 pm - Reply

          Go get them Moe

    • Brian J October 11, 2017 at 3:41 pm - Reply

      Millennial** At least get the term right you old fart

      • Bryan October 11, 2017 at 4:04 pm - Reply

        I’m 27 and it’s called auto-correct…keep trolling bro

  17. Kim October 11, 2017 at 2:52 pm - Reply

    So it’s ok for you to call people out in your little blog because they’re not using proper manners(according to you) at the beach or Fido pees in your daffodils but someone putting in a legitimate complaint about something illegal and HE’S the jerk?!?!?

    • Maureen Dahill October 11, 2017 at 3:53 pm - Reply

      It’s not a “little blog” it’s a wildly popular neighborhood news website with over 200,000 pageviews a month. And yes, people ratting out their neighbors on 311 for something like parking the wrong way is a jerky neighbor in my book.

      • Typical Millennnnnial October 12, 2017 at 4:22 pm - Reply

        “Wildly Popular” cracked me up. Why don’t you go after more lucrative marketing contracts instead of small local businesses in that case?

        • Maureen Dahill October 12, 2017 at 4:36 pm - Reply

          How do you know my contracts aren’t lucrative? It’s part of my life’s work to promote local small businesses. A thriving local economy is vital to the overall health of a neighborhood. And yes, it IS wildly popular. Clearly you like it, you keep coming back for more!

      • Diane October 12, 2017 at 4:57 pm - Reply

        I agree with Maureen

  18. Marcia October 13, 2017 at 11:34 am - Reply

    I do support you Maureen! I don’t know how you do it.

    Cars just need to park legal.

    • Maureen Dahill October 13, 2017 at 12:00 pm - Reply

      Thank you Marcia for your support!

  19. Ken October 17, 2017 at 11:20 am - Reply

    I agree as well. It’s a very thoughtful, interesting, and informative site. Screw you yuppies.
    As Maureen said, you must like it because you keep coming back. Great job, keep up the good work.

    • Nick October 17, 2017 at 3:16 pm - Reply

      For the record, I like Maureen’s site.

      I don’t know why it matters where I’m from (and I’m not from suburban Massachusetts). For better or worse, I live in Southie now. I want people to obey basic traffic laws. I want people to pick up after their dogs. I want people to be quiet at night. I want people to shovel their sidewalks and take their trash barrels in on trash day. In my view, these are the characteristics of good neighbors and (IMO) everyone benefits when we all act like good neighbors.

      Unfortunately, most of these basic rules are ignored on a daily basis. People don’t stop at stop signs. People don’t stop for pedestrians. People don’t pick up after their dogs. People party all night, don’t shovel their sidewalks, and leave their trash barrels out for days at a time. If everyone decides for themselves which rules to follow and which rules to ignore, the result is a situation where all of the rules are ignored on a regular basis. This is the reality of living in present day Southie and it’s something I want to change. Hence, I advocate for people to follow the rules, even when that rule has historically been ignored.

      Is parking the wrong way the end of the world? Of course not. But it’s still sending the wrong message.

  20. Juice October 20, 2017 at 8:57 am - Reply

    Hi, I lived in Southie back when it really was Southie, unlike now where it’s turned into just South Boston. Back in the 80’s & 90’s when my family and I lived there, everyone knew each other by first name, you could actually go out at night and not worry about getting shot or robbed, and you could park anyplace you dang well pleased, as long as it wasn’t a spot someone else shoveled out after a storm. Also, you could go to Castle Island and not have to worry about some stupid gate locking you in or out after a certain time, and the only language you heard there was ENGLISH! Plus a family could actually afford the rents there, unlike now with all the dang condo’s and YUPPIES taking over everything that’s not public housing. And as far as people partying late at night, there were no complaints from neighbors, because they were all at said party. I went to Castle Island back in July, and we had to drive around for almost an hour to get a parking spot. Have a good day all.

  21. Tim October 20, 2017 at 8:44 pm - Reply

    The rules are the rules – if people can pick and choose which laws to obey you end up with chaos! It’s always been a “Southie” thing to double park all over the place but that doesn’t make it right or something the BTD should ignore – we routinely call the BPD or BTD when people park in front of the hydrant in front of our house – maybe we’re “jerks” but it’s pretty clearly the law – I agree with the opinions about being a good neighbor – just because you are someone who’s lived here for life doesn’t give you the right to think the rules don’t apply to you –

    • Maureen Dahill October 21, 2017 at 12:49 pm - Reply

      I completely agree with you about using 311 for someone parked on a hydrant. That is a public safety issue. To use 311 to call out neighbors parked the wrong way on a two way street seems petty.

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