Parking Question

wolf · 07-10-2008, 01:15 PM

Let's say that you have a choice of two places to park. One parking space is under a very large tree. The second parking place is under a very large tree of the same age and type, but tree number two has a history of having dropped very large limbs on other coworkers cars. There are strong thunderstorms with high winds predicted.

Our puzzle assumes that there are no parking spaces on the building-side of the parking lot where there are no trees. I may be incorrectly assuming that the risk of an entire tree falling down across the parking lot toward the building is minimal, but factoring that in can make the problem too complex. So, what's riskier ... a tree that has proven that it loses limbs, or one that could be in a position to do so? Other factors: even though my car insurance is paid up and I have a fairly low deductible, I like my car and can do without the hassle.

Flint · 07-10-2008, 01:18 PM

I'm sorry, I thought you said porking question.

Cloud · 07-10-2008, 01:19 PM

don't try to outsmart Mother Nature--she'll get you in the end either way. Park in the closest spot and take your chances.

glatt · 07-10-2008, 01:30 PM

Perhaps the tree that has lost limbs before has lost all the limbs it's going to lose, and the tree that has lost none has one that's now ripe for this storm.

Or perhaps the tree that has dropped limbs in the past is rotten to the core and will keep on dropping them until it's all gone.

Do you see any clearly dead limbs on either? Any splits, cracks, checks.

What is the risk of being towed if you park in the grass away from all the trees whenever a thunderstorm comes through?

I see no thunderstorms brewing in all of PA, so this isn't an immediate question, is it?

wolf · 07-10-2008, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

I see no thunderstorms brewing in all of PA, so this isn't an immediate question, is it?

It was last night, and will remain a question in the future.

It was just too busy at the nuthouse to post at the time.

Because I tend to be a catastrophist, I expect that if I don't park under either potentially dangerous tree a large chunk of the building facade which has been somewhat indifferently maintained since it's construction in 1936 will come crashing down on my car.

wolf · 07-10-2008, 01:27 PM

(Option three, which is not given serious consideration, even though HR has told us it's okay, unless there is some massive event like the lecture series going on and there are seriously no parking spaces and the car gets moved as soon as another space opens up, and there are four of them anyway, is that, um, I will, usually only about three, maybe four times a year, park in the farthest away handicapped space, but I do hang the placard on the rearview if I do it)

SteveDallas · 07-10-2008, 01:34 PM

Question: are the tree limbs expected to amybe possibly drop dead or alive? I've learned (or, to be more accurate, a previous employer learned) that insurance will cough up for live limbs that fall. Dead limbs that fall are a hazard that the owner of the property should have removed, and the owner will generally end up wishing they had.

barefoot serpent · 07-10-2008, 02:36 PM

take a chainsaw... get the jump on mother nature.

Griff · 07-10-2008, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barefoot serpent

take a chainsaw... get the jump on mother nature.

Wolf must know a law breaker who would rub out the offender for a couple loads of firewood.

Cloud · 07-10-2008, 02:46 PM

so quit worrying about it. Que sera, sera!

Shawnee123 · 07-10-2008, 03:02 PM

Park under the tree: good because of shade and I have no A/C. Bad because of bird poop. Good because I would love a tree to fall on my POS car. Bad because those spaces are always taken because they are closest to the building.

The extra steps don't bother me. A day of 95 degrees with 90% humidity causes me to cuss under my breath at the nice cars sitting sweetly in the shade.

DucksNuts · 07-10-2008, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Park under the tree: good because of shade and I have no A/C. Bad because of bird poop. Good because I would love a tree to fall on my POS car. Bad because those spaces are always taken because they are closest to the building.

The extra steps don't bother me. A day of 95 degrees with 90% humidity causes me to cuss under my breath at the nice cars sitting sweetly in the shade.

They make cars with no A/C?

Sundae · 07-11-2008, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DucksNuts

They make cars with no A/C?

None of my cars had it and neither does HM's current one.

Beest · 07-11-2008, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

None of my cars had it and neither does HM's current one.

Yes, in Europe a luxury item, at the time we left I remember some smaller cars being advertsied with it as an option, it was trickling down to the hoi polloi.

Currently in the US it is technically an option on some cars, my colleague bought a KIA with no AC, or other options to keep the price to bare minimum, I think he regrets it sometimes.

SamIam · 07-11-2008, 03:06 PM

What kind of trees are they? Some species of trees are probably more likely to be susceptible to disease and or broken limbs. Do they both look fairly healthy? I tend to go for the shade myself. In fact, my parking space at my apartment is directly under a rather sickly looking shade tree. I've parked there for almost three years now with no problems (knock on wood).

07-10-2008, 01:15 PM	#1
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Parking Question Let's say that you have a choice of two places to park. One parking space is under a very large tree. The second parking place is under a very large tree of the same age and type, but tree number two has a history of having dropped very large limbs on other coworkers cars. There are strong thunderstorms with high winds predicted. Our puzzle assumes that there are no parking spaces on the building-side of the parking lot where there are no trees. I may be incorrectly assuming that the risk of an entire tree falling down across the parking lot toward the building is minimal, but factoring that in can make the problem too complex. So, what's riskier ... a tree that has proven that it loses limbs, or one that could be in a position to do so? Other factors: even though my car insurance is paid up and I have a fairly low deductible, I like my car and can do without the hassle. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

07-10-2008, 01:18 PM	#2
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	I'm sorry, I thought you said porking question. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

07-10-2008, 01:19 PM	#3
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	don't try to outsmart Mother Nature--she'll get you in the end either way. Park in the closest spot and take your chances. __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

07-10-2008, 01:27 PM	#6
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	(Option three, which is not given serious consideration, even though HR has told us it's okay, unless there is some massive event like the lecture series going on and there are seriously no parking spaces and the car gets moved as soon as another space opens up, and there are four of them anyway, is that, um, I will, usually only about three, maybe four times a year, park in the farthest away handicapped space, but I do hang the placard on the rearview if I do it) __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

07-10-2008, 02:36 PM	#8
barefoot serpent go ahead, abbrev. it Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lawrence, KS Posts: 2,623	take a chainsaw... get the jump on mother nature. __________________ Chooses rowing vs. wading

07-10-2008, 01:30 PM	#4
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Perhaps the tree that has lost limbs before has lost all the limbs it's going to lose, and the tree that has lost none has one that's now ripe for this storm. Or perhaps the tree that has dropped limbs in the past is rotten to the core and will keep on dropping them until it's all gone. Do you see any clearly dead limbs on either? Any splits, cracks, checks. What is the risk of being towed if you park in the grass away from all the trees whenever a thunderstorm comes through? I see no thunderstorms brewing in all of PA, so this isn't an immediate question, is it?

07-10-2008, 01:34 PM	#7
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Question: are the tree limbs expected to amybe possibly drop dead or alive? I've learned (or, to be more accurate, a previous employer learned) that insurance will cough up for live limbs that fall. Dead limbs that fall are a hazard that the owner of the property should have removed, and the owner will generally end up wishing they had.

07-10-2008, 02:46 PM	#10
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	so quit worrying about it. Que sera, sera! __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

07-10-2008, 03:02 PM	#11
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	Park under the tree: good because of shade and I have no A/C. Bad because of bird poop. Good because I would love a tree to fall on my POS car. Bad because those spaces are always taken because they are closest to the building. The extra steps don't bother me. A day of 95 degrees with 90% humidity causes me to cuss under my breath at the nice cars sitting sweetly in the shade. __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

07-11-2008, 03:06 PM	#15
SamIam Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Not here Posts: 2,655	What kind of trees are they? Some species of trees are probably more likely to be susceptible to disease and or broken limbs. Do they both look fairly healthy? I tend to go for the shade myself. In fact, my parking space at my apartment is directly under a rather sickly looking shade tree. I've parked there for almost three years now with no problems (knock on wood).

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)