The parking enforcement staff for the city of Lansing, ride around all day long in little gas powered vehicles checking for expired parking meters. If they find a meter that is expired, they sit in their little vehicle and write out a parking ticket. When the ticket is complete, they emerge from their little cart and put the ticket under the recipients windshield wiper. They then drive off to find their next victim.

Well, because of budget constraints and the high price of gasoline, the city has taken their little carts away from them. In short, the Parking Enforcers now have to walk and they are upset about that.

They contend that the carts allow them to quickly and efficiently patrol the area and that this ability to travel produces more revenue for the city. Plus, they point out that some times they have to make a hasty get away when an irate driver spots the parking ticket.

Now, I really think that walking is a good idea. After all, postal workers have been walking for hundreds of years and it doesn’t seem to have hurt them. And while the postal workers usually don’t have to face irate people, they do have to face the occasional irate dog. And to that end, they are equipped with pepper spray. So, if the Parking Enforcers are fearful of their life, they too could carry pepper spray.

But, more to the point, if some is close enough to their car to make the Parking Enforcers nervous, then maybe they shouldn’t be issuing that ticket in the first place. After all, if the driver is headed back to the car it is usually for one of two reasons. They are either going to leave or are going to put more money in the meter. In either case, the Parking Enforcers should grant a stay of execution.

And judging by the size of some of those Parking Enforcers, walking would do those folks some good.