In Everett, a daily dance to dodge parking tickets

You may remember Brazil’s greatest export, the Lambada, the steamy dance that opened our eyes to pelvic thrusts and thong underwear. It was so hot in the early ‘90s that it was banned in its home country; so hot that it spawned not one, but two competing big-budget movies, “Lambada” and “The Forbidden Dance.

In downtown Everett, we have our own Forbidden Dance, and like the Lambada, it’s leaving everyone all worked up but totally unsatisfied. It’s the dance of the cars, a daily ballet of drivers hopping from one 90-minute spot to another to avoid parking tickets.

It’s forbidden because, as Julie Muhlstein wrote in a recent column, drivers are technically not allowed to repark in another space in Everett’s downtown core between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. The rule is intended to stop downtown workers from hogging the good spots all day, but there are more loopholes in it than there are plot holes in early 1990s dance movies. For example, drivers are allowed to move to another parking spot if they’re shopping at different businesses. If parking enforcement officers watched us closely enough to know where we’re going, we’d all be pretty freaked out.

  • So we have a rule that is hard to enforce, and an alternative – parking meters – that is hard to swallow. In our latest poll at HeraldNet.com, we asked what you would do about it.
  • 48 percent said to simply stop ticketing people for reparking. There’s no shame in admitting defeat and letting the cars roam freely. Unfortunately, that also means fewer places to park.
  • 34 percent favored bringing in parking meters. This would be fair for everyone, but it’s never fun to pay for something that was heretofore free.
  • And 18 percent said to leave things as they are. In light of the alternatives, we might as well keep on dancing.

— Doug Parry, parryracer@gmail.com; @parryracer

Next up, how do you like the Mariners’ chances this year?

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.