Two signs in Lake Park, Florida, one above the other, are fastened to a signpost in the middle of a swale between the street and the sidewaik. “NO PARKING ANY TIME” declares the top sign. Below it, the second sign adds, “NO PARKING IN SWALE”.
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| From Riviera Beach & Lake Park, Florida |
Were these signs posted by the town’s Department of Redundancy Department?
Given the opportunity, the clever (or perverse) reader could interpret these signs any of three ways:
- NO PARKING IN SWALE AT ANY TIME. WE JUST COULDN’T FIT THIS ALL IN ONE SIGN.
- IN GENERAL, NO PARKING AT ANY TIME ANYWHERE IN LAKE PARK. ESPECIALLY NOT HERE IN THE SWALE.
- NO PARKING AT ANY TIME. NOT EVEN IN THE SWALE, RIGHT HERE, WHERE THE SIGN IS POSTED! YOU BLOCKHEAD!
Personally, I’d bet on number 3. But it won’t help. Right in front of the sign, a truck is parked. In the swale.
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| From Riviera Beach & Lake Park, Florida |
So who owns this truck, anyway? Yes, that’s right: the Town of Lake Park!
Neighboring Riviera Beach has a kinder, gentler approach to the problem of parking in swales. “Please,” they ask politely, “do not park on swales.”
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| From Riviera Beach & Lake Park, Florida |
I wonder which is more effective.