Those of us who have been trying to come up with excuses for not wanting to visit Hobart can stop searching:
An ordinance to ban overnight parking outside Wal-Mart and other local stores passed City Council on a first vote Wednesday.
The proposal was approved on a 5-2 vote and is aimed at truck drivers who in recent months have turned parking lots along U.S. 30 into de facto truck stops.
Councilman Jerry Herzog said he's received a number of complaints from residents about the growing number of trucks and RVs that make overnight stops in the parked overnight stops in Hobart's largest retail district.
If truckers want to turn store parking lots into "de facto truck stops" -- when the stores aren't open and the lots are being used anyway -- whose business is it? Shouldn't the stores be the ones telling the truckers to stay or go away? Naturally, the city can't ban the trucks without banning all overnight parking. As someone who has been considering an RV or a conversion van -- in case I need to pull over for a nap on my way to Jefferson Pointe -- I take this personally.
Hey, here's a great idea. Just make those truckers keep driving all night until they nod off and kill somebody. Brilliant legislating, Hobart.
