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Getting Parkingjacked in Downtown Walnut Creek

Over the weekend I had my first ever parking-jacking incident at my favorite downtown Walnut Creek parking garage, the Broadway Pointe Parking Garage, off Duncan St (near Starbucks). I made it to the 2nd level when I noticed a family getting ready to leave in a corner spot. So I parked my car, turned the blinker on indicating I was waiting for the spot, and waited. And waited. After about five minutes, they finally pulled out. In order to let them exit, I needed to wait until they went first. As soon as they left, a car from the upper level zoomed straight into the spot, leaving me staring in disbelief. I made a feeble honk to let them know what I thought of their behavior. This was not a case of a few seconds difference where there could be some kind of misunderstanding. I was right next to the spot with blinker on for five minutes.

Luckily a different spot opened up nearby which I quickly snagged. However, I was somewhat close to the car that took the spot I had been waiting for, and pondered for a moment whether I should just leave, or approach them and ask them what they were thinking. I looked over, and nobody was there so I thought they may have left. I walked to the end of the garage about to open the door to leave when I took one last look. That’s when I saw one guy standing there, looking at me. If I were younger, with an older car, I might have approached and asked him to explain himself, but I know better now, and left nodding my head at the poor behavior of some people.

Has anyone ever taken a parking spot you’ve been waiting for? If so, what did you do?