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Firelanes

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:44 pm
by wharvey
I have a completely non-gun related question, more of a driving type. I was under the impression that a large red line with "fire lane no parking" meant exactly that, no parking along or inside the fire lane area. Reason I ask isn't what you may first think. 8->

Since moving back to Texas I've noticed that many San Antonio businesses have this fire lane line painted across the parking spaces. If taken to mean what I thought, the businesses would have no place to legally park as the entire lot would be no parking. What gives? Was the Fire Marshall smoking loco weed or I'm I completely off base? Please educate ms as to the meaning of fire lane!

BTW, I assume it means not to park in the driving lane between the rows of parking spaces. It is just that in my 40+ years of driving I haven't seen this. :confused5

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:48 pm
by OldCannon
wharvey wrote:San Antonio
I think I isolated the problem "rlol"

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:52 pm
by C-dub
I was also under that impression, but apparently if you're at WalMart or a grocery store it means "park here and leave your car, with or without someone in it, running or not, hazards on or not, for as long as you like because you're only running in the store from anywhere between 2-20 minutes.

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 6:31 pm
by SATX-Scrub
I'm parked behind one as we speak. They have them all over our apartment complex, and its to keep the driving area clear for emergency traffic. Basically, I'm sure they did it so the moving vans wouldn't hog the space for hours, but the intent is clear to the residents. I have yet to see one that isn't on private property (ie downtown, I've not seen any). Hope that makes sense, I'm still puzzled over what I was trying to say without lots of charts and graphs!

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:57 pm
by ELB
I always assumed it meant don't block the access way, the lane you drive between the parking spaces on either side. No double-parking, in other words. But I never looked it up.

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 9:55 pm
by surprise_i'm_armed
I used to have a Ford Firelane.

Oh, wait, I'm having a blonde moment.

Carry on.

SIA

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:29 am
by Keith B
The fire lane is exactly as stated above, it is designating the main driving lane as a fire lane. In other words, you can park your car between the building and the fire lane line, but must leave the area between the fire lane line and the next fire lane line or open street unobstructed.

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 7:01 am
by The Annoyed Man
C-dub wrote:I was also under that impression, but apparently if you're at WalMart or a grocery store it means "park here and leave your car, with or without someone in it, running or not, hazards on or not, for as long as you like because you're only running in the store from anywhere between 2-20 minutes.
You must live in Grapevine. :smilelol5:

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 9:41 am
by 92f-fan
The Annoyed Man wrote:
C-dub wrote:I was also under that impression, but apparently if you're at WalMart or a grocery store it means "park here and leave your car, with or without someone in it, running or not, hazards on or not, for as long as you like because you're only running in the store from anywhere between 2-20 minutes.
You must live in Grapevine. :smilelol5:
not just grapevine ...

Stuns me that people can be so self absorbed that they think the parking lot is for everyone else.....

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 10:39 am
by wharvey
That is what I thought, just never seen them done that way. But then I never thought people would be so rude as to park behind others pulled into parking places. Guess we as a society have degenerated even further than I thought. And then we wonder why our kids act so badly.

Maybe some author needs to write a book, "The Rise and Fall of the United States". Would love to see what is written in the history books a few hundred years from now.

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 12:59 pm
by troglodyte
Besides the balatant disregard for firelanes is the apparent nonenforcement of them.

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 3:19 pm
by C-dub
troglodyte wrote:Besides the balatant disregard for firelanes is the apparent nonenforcement of them.
That is also true. I have seen our police drive right on by car(s) parked in the fire lane without giving them so much as a glance.

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:59 am
by Target1911
Weeeellllll. I tow for firelane violations in apartments. It's amazing how many people will leave their cars in firelane blocking other cars in the parking spots. Another one I don't understand is the lazy people that park in the firelane blocking several EMPTY spots. What's so hard about just turning the wheel and parking in a spot?

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:41 am
by waynev
If we see a car parked in a firelane, running with nobody in it would it be wrong to lock the doors so nobody steals the car?

I'm just trying to be helpful. ;-)

Re: Firelanes

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:36 pm
by Target1911
waynev wrote:If we see a car parked in a firelane, running with nobody in it would it be wrong to lock the doors so nobody steals the car?

I'm just trying to be helpful. ;-)

I see this and tow them often. I usually turn it off and lock the keys inside. Bit I think I will just pass on getting paid for one and lock it on the spot.
What really makes me mad is a large portion of the cars have toddlers left unattended in them without an adult in sight......many times for upwards of 20min or more.