Time for the annual neighborhood complaint about porch lights

[Exterous]

And how its dangerous for the children when the entire neighborhood doesn't leave them on. (There's no street lighting)
"I don't know why the houses on the way to the bus stop don't leave their lights on"
"Please make sure to keep your lights on for the safety of our kids at and on the way to the bus stop."

The houses sit far enough back you need non-energy efficient spot lights to really do any good - perhaps they should buy their children some $5 flashlights from Home Depot or something. We're also 0.25 miles from an elementary school and fire station and less than 2 miles from the police station. Out of curiosity I checked the last 180 days on crime mapping: a whopping 20 reports almost entirely made up of Fraud, Possession of MJ and some theft from unlocked new housing developments. Scary stuff.

2 days ago someone also complained about a "White ford truck driving slow around the neighborhood may be trying to steal packages" followed by people going out for a walk and taking their 'good camera' to get a picture of a license plate. Maybe I am just really lucky but I've not had a single package stolen in 3 years of living here. We're also gone a fair bit so its not unusual for several packages to stack up by my door and sit there for a couple days. But to read the relatively regular "unknown car in the neighborhood" messages you'd think all our deliveries were getting stolen

 

[Charmonium]

Is your whole neighborhood on some sort of localized web site, like NextDoor? How do you even hear about this stuff?

And why don't you have street lights? I was out in Eastern PA for the weekend recently and they didn't have lights out there either. Did you know that it gets really, really dark at night? Who knew. But that was a fairly rural area. Even at night you could see there was still a lot of farmland around.

I keep forgetting to post my obligatory lolcat pic.

 

[Chaotic42]

I'm happy no one in my neighborhood has tried to talk to me yet.

 

[local]

Nextdoor is awesome for figuring out which neighbors are idiots, the answer is most of them as expected.

 

[dawp]

I have a streetlight on my property along the driveway that we pay the electricity for but then we live in a rural area.

 

[Exterous]

Is your whole neighborhood on some sort of localized web site, like NextDoor? How do you even hear about this stuff?

And why don't you have street lights? I was out in Eastern PA for the weekend recently and they didn't have lights out there either. Did you know that it gets really, really dark at night? Who knew. But that was a fairly rural area. Even at night you could see there was still a lot of farmland around.

There is a community facebook page where information like meetings, notices etc is posted. Unfortunately its also spammed with fundraiser announcements and warnings by people who live in fear.

The no street lights is a township thing. Yet somehow I am able to walk my dog at 6am or 11pm without badgering my neighbors to light up the small sliver of land right in front of their house. We have quite a few common areas where their idea of everyone emitting light pollution won't help them at all because there are no houses around.

 

[Exterous]

Nextdoor is awesome for figuring out which neighbors are idiots, the answer is most of them as expected.

It's depressing and frustrating. One woman was trying to force a neighbor to move his mailbox on a corner lot because the post office was delivering her mail to him and she was tired of having to go get it. I asked if she had talked to the post office and she said "No." Why is it his problem and why should he have to move his mailbox if you haven't even addressed the people making the mistake??

There were complaints that people were speeding in the subdivision so they wanted to spend like $2k on speed limit signs. I pointed out that its not like people don't know you're supposed to go slow and that speed limit signs don't keep people from speeding. Just drive on our local highway and you'll see plenty of people going 85 past the 70mph speed limit signs. I lost that argument so now people complain "People are ignoring the speed limit signs!" Oh shocker. If only someone could have foreseen that!

Neighbors like to throw out phrases like "reflect the prestige of our neighborhood" when discussing if we should replace our stop signs or entrance landscaping - completely oblivious (I guess) to the slightly nicer neighborhood across the street and the nicer than that neighborhood about 3/4 mile down the road. Because someone would say "You know the houses are larger, lots bigger, more established landscaping etc but, gosh darn it, that other neighborhood has nicer stop signs and entrance signs so Ima buy in there!"

 

[IronWing]

The good: Our neighborhood has street lights which the power company will turn on if someone steps up to foot the electric bill. In eighteen years, not one person has done so.

The bad: The idiots across the street installed a bare bulb for their porch light and it shines into our bedroom. When the house was vacant and on the market the <expletives forgone, use your imagination here> realtor left the light on. We unscrewed the bulb.

The ugly: Mofos around the block installed motion sensing security lights which trigger on passing cars. They live on a corner so when coming up to the intersection to turn, drivers get a security light popping in their faces. Early morning walkers and runners get the same treatment.

Light pollution sucks.

<Goes back to stringing Christmas lights>

 

[clamum]

Sounds like a bunch of busy body dumbasses around there, brah. There's probably a couple that just sit around peering out their windows, checking for any "suspicious vehicles" in the neighborhood.

Thankfully I pretty much only have to deal with the neighbors above me flushing the toilet every morning when I'm taking a shower, and getting a blast of boiling then cool water in return. It was so nice when they were gone for like a week and a half recently (the guy is kind of a big guy, but more than that he stomps his feet everywhere so it sounds like an elephant up there; not a biggie though, kinda funny).

 

[snoopy7548]

2 days ago someone also complained about a "White ford truck driving slow around the neighborhood may be trying to steal packages" followed by people going out for a walk and taking their 'good camera' to get a picture of a license plate. Maybe I am just really lucky but I've not had a single package stolen in 3 years of living here. We're also gone a fair bit so its not unusual for several packages to stack up by my door and sit there for a couple days. But to read the relatively regular "unknown car in the neighborhood" messages you'd think all our deliveries were getting stolen

Plot twist... he was seen leaving packages on doorsteps and wearing a funny uniform. Somebody call the cops!

EDIT: You should suggest they install those solar light things people use on walkways all along the sidewalk to the bus stop. If they refuse to because of the cost/work, just tell them to think of the children.

 

[local]

It's depressing and frustrating. One woman was trying to force a neighbor to move his mailbox on a corner lot because the post office was delivering her mail to him and she was tired of having to go get it. I asked if she had talked to the post office and she said "No." Why is it his problem and why should he have to move his mailbox if you haven't even addressed the people making the mistake??

We had one go on a 4 day rant about the terrible mailman and local USPS office in general. The LOL part was when everyone finally had enough and starting tell her she obviously had mental problems and to seek help. Pretty sure she had a meltdown when no one agreed with her.

There were complaints that people were speeding in the subdivision so they wanted to spend like $2k on speed limit signs. I pointed out that its not like people don't know you're supposed to go slow and that speed limit signs don't keep people from speeding. Just drive on our local highway and you'll see plenty of people going 85 past the 70mph speed limit signs. I lost that argument so now people complain "People are ignoring the speed limit signs!" Oh shocker. If only someone could have foreseen that!

Same problem except enough people complained that they got the city to install speed bumps on the main road into the neighborhood. I have a couple family members that work with the city and our subdivision is known as the whiny bitches to the city offices but since we provide over half the tax income they always give in.

Neighbors like to throw out phrases like "reflect the prestige of our neighborhood" when discussing if we should replace our stop signs or entrance landscaping - completely oblivious (I guess) to the slightly nicer neighborhood across the street and the nicer than that neighborhood about 3/4 mile down the road. Because someone would say "You know the houses are larger, lots bigger, more established landscaping etc but, gosh darn it, that other neighborhood has nicer stop signs and entrance signs so Ima buy in there!"

Yeah I cannot wait until a new subdivision gets built and the comparisons start. These people complain about everything from the street has too many puddles in it to why don't they build sidewalks on the rural two lane road leading to us.


My personal favorite was once I had some free time and decided to get involved in the "My kids are playing in the street don't drive near them!" thread. I was able to pull the applicable city and state ordinances, laws and codes that show not only are kids playing in the street illegal but that if I ran over little Sally who jumped out from behind a vehicle not only would I not be at fault but that they would have to pay for any damage Sally caused to my vehicle. The discussion ended pretty quickly after that and hasn't come back up in about two years now.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Speaking of Nextdoor:
My sister, who uses the app, recently found her horrified neighbor asking about the legality of shock collars - having seen her cat on their porch wearing its "E-collar." The neighbor was bemoaning the apparent "cruelty." My sister replied to her neighbor's query that it was her cat, which had just been spayed, necessitating the collar to keep it from picking its wound.

 

[kn51]

Heh, Nextdoor and pets. About everyday there is lost dog or cat post.

I like the mysterious car ones myself.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

When people actually talked to each other, you know, face to face, it tended to cut down considerably on the whining and kvetching.

 

[Thebobo]

Try living here

 

[BoomerD]

Try living here

I have. We spent just over a year just upriver from Clayton. (Pop. 42 at the time) There were almost 1000 construction workers in mancamps, RV parks, trailer parks, camping on BLM land, etc...till about October when it started getting cold.

Nice area...good hunting and fishing...but cold as fuck in the winter.

 

[snoopy7548]

The houses sit far enough back you need non-energy efficient spot lights to really do any good - perhaps they should buy their children some $5 flashlights from Home Depot or something.

I bet every single kid on the block has an iPhone and a flashlight app...

 

[soulcougher73]

Tell them if they pay your entire electric bill and replace any porch lights that burn out youd be glad to do so for them.

 

[kt]

The good: Our neighborhood has street lights which the power company will turn on if someone steps up to foot the electric bill. In eighteen years, not one person has done so.

The bad: The idiots across the street installed a bare bulb for their porch light and it shines into our bedroom. When the house was vacant and on the market the <expletives forgone, use your imagination here> realtor left the light on. We unscrewed the bulb.

The ugly: Mofos around the block installed motion sensing security lights which trigger on passing cars. They live on a corner so when coming up to the intersection to turn, drivers get a security light popping in their faces. Early morning walkers and runners get the same treatment.

Light pollution sucks.

<Goes back to stringing Christmas lights>

One of these days, that mofo is going to get sued for causing a car accident. I don't mind people having security lights installed, but get them properly installed and aimed.