Disregard for Parking Rules

Parking a vehicle next to a curb painted yellow is as illegal on a military base as it is in any American town or city.

There are two police vehicles parked in the no-parking zone in front of the Navy Exchange. Are the officers responding to a robbery-in-progress? That might explain why one of the vehicles is two feet from the curb.

Surely the officers would not park illegally to visit the food court or, gasp, shop during work hours. Surely military police training emphasizes the importance of obeying the rules and regulations the officers are responsible for enforcing. Surely they understand the importance of serving as role models.

The police vehicles are still there 90 minutes later. I am surprised it takes them that long to arrest the shoplifter.

Bike Rack

What budding genius will admit to planting this bike rack next to the PSD sidewalk? There’s a broad plaza ideal for parking bicycles directly in front of the building entrance. Can CFAY make life any more difficult for pedestrians?

Cell Phones and Strollers

The pedestrians surged into the busy Tokyo intersection when the light changed to green.  A Caucasian woman in the middle of the pack pushed a stroller with her right hand while chatting into the cell phone in her left hand.  She zigzagged across the crosswalk, veering first to the left and then overcorrecting to veer to the right, oblivious to the Japanese pedestrians beside and behind her.

The child tried to get her attention by climbing to his feet in the stroller.  Either she had not fastened his safety belt or he had managed to unfasten it.

She stopped in the middle of the intersection to push him back into the stroller with her right hand.  She did not for one instant stop talking on her cell phone.  She never even looked at the child.

When she eventually reached the safety of the sidewalk, she continued her animated telephone conversation for five more minutes, shoving the child back into the stroller with her right hand at regular intervals.  She still did not glance at the child.

Turn off your cell phone!

I was not standing close enough to eavesdrop on her conversation so I don't know what language she was speaking.  I hope it wasn't English.