No, I didn’t mean to accuse you or anything like that. I can see how you might think that, considering the way your posts are often received around here! No, I was just genuinely confused how that was any better.
I’ve had oil stains in my driveway and a) I haven’t really cared, it’s a driveway, and b), if they don’t wash away on the driveway, they don’t wash away on the street either. Also, C) I haven’t seen any oil stains, but I’ll be sure to check now!
You really don’t have any inkling why some people would prefer to have oil stains on the public street in front of their house instead of on their driveway? Seriously you have no clue at all?
Would it surprise you to learn that some people do care about having oil stains on their driveway?
:dubious: Of course I understand.
I think it’s pretty freakin stupid and mean to not want oil stains on their driveway but have no problem letting your motorcycle (or whatever) drip oil everywhere else. I live in a nice residential neighborhood and people walk on the street all the time. I think people should get their motorcycles fixed so it doesn’t drip oil everywhere. And in the end, I really just don’t care that much. I wish people would just use their own 2.5 car driveways and not block up all the streets. And drip their own oil onto their own property.
It is no different and arguably worse than throwing your McDonald’s wrapper in the street.
Then I’m not sure why you would state that you were “genuinely confused.”
All things being equal, there are a lot of people who would prefer oil stains on the street in front of their house to oil stains on their driveway.
Some people are selfish enough to park their vehicles so that oil will drip on the street and not on their driveway.
It’s possible that this is the reason your neighbor is parking his motorcycle in the street.
What about these three propositions is so confusing to you?
I agree that it’s somewhat selfish and rude, but again – that’s a different issue.
Because if something is objectionable in your own driveway, why would you think it’s okay to let it happen on the street, which belongs to everyone?
Yes, why would you think it’s okay?
Playing devils advocate here (my drive is chock-a-block full of oil stains):
A street is maintained by the town. Generally, the pavement is laid, allowed to age, is patched as needed. Then, when the roadway is worn out, the whole shebang is torn up, and new asphalt is put down. My dripping oil is not going to affect this process much. The town is not going to repave or patch a small divot on the side of the road caused by my oil, unless they’re already there, at which point it would cost about $5 in materials and 5 minutes of one man’s time. Net harm, negligible.
Now, I let drips get on my personal driveway instead. Dripping oil can cause damage to a driveway. If I seal the driveway, I may have to scrub the surface with degreaser to prep the surface. I may have to put in a patch or other repair that will not work as well as undamaged asphalt. This change may cause me to significantly alter my driveway maintenance routine. Net harm, I get irritated at having to repair my driveway. Since I’m a totally selfish jerk who only thinks about myself, this is unacceptable.
Not to indulge this idiotic oil-stain tangent more than necessary, but it may also be the case that the city has street-cleaning in its budget, so once a week or whatever a big machine will come along the road and clean it, whereas Joe Driveway-Owner is left to his own devices.
Of course, that’s just adding my assumptions to the assumptions of others. If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of pissants.
We have street cleaning once a week, but the big machine doesn’t clean up the oil stains.
How is it that oil damages your driveway but not a public street? It’s basically the same material, no?
To add further - the street may well be significantly more durable than a private driveway. A few drips of oil may not do any appreciably damage to asphalt / tar / bitumen, whereas oil do some serious damage to softer concrete or similar.
But on a different note, it may also be that he does’t trust the car driver to get out of the driveway without hitting his bike, so parking on the street is safer…
It does damage the street, but the damage is on the side of the road where people park, and is not likely to alter the normal maintenance schedule. The street is also much thicker than a driveway, so it’s more likely to be surface damage than all the way through. On a driveway, that same level of damage is more likely to result in additional repairs.
Guys, I don’t even care about the oil hijack anymore. I mean, feel free to discuss it, it’s a free world, but I just wanted to bitch about people not parking in their driveways.
Not usually. Most driveways are concrete, most streets are asphalt, which is petroleum based.
And of course, there’s the global-warming aspect.
We have a motorcycle that leaks oil or gas, can’t remember which, however we find parking it in our garage with a drip pan is the best solution. That’s just us, though. After the parking incident with my neighbor I don’t try to understand the thinking of others.
With regards to my situation, I did park one of our cars back in front of our house. Let’s face it, it is easier for us to do that with 3 cars then having to move multiple cars to get a certain one out. I stopped because of the USPS left that note, but because my neighbor took that opportunity to start parking there regardless of the note told me that either I have to park there and move it when I hear the mail truck OR not get my mail because she’s inconsiderate. Of course, yesterday her employees were talking smack about me parking there in front of my son and his friend when they were playing basketball. Seriously, I felt like going out there and apologizing for making things so terribly inconvenient for them. They had to park an entire 20 feet further down the street, BLOCKING SOMEONE ELSE’S BOX! Jeez, I just don’t get it.
True dat. A little responsibility can go a long way. JMO