Park N Ride Pranksters in Cardiff?

Sometime prior to Labor Day weekend (September 1–3), orange safety pylons, connected with yellow caution tape, were placed in the Cardiff Park N Ride lot on Birmingham Drive at I-5. The pylons blocked off 11 parking spaces in a lot that is usually full of weekday commuters’ vehicles, including two spots set aside for disabled parking.

Some may have thought the blocked-off spaces were to accommodate the beginning of the football season, to be used by the buses that pick up fans from the lot. Three Chargers home games have come and gone, and the blocked-off spaces remained.

With no sign of pending construction, on September 27, two Cardiff folks who drive by the lot ever day told me they called Caltrans offices in San Diego to ask what was going on. They were told someone would check into it and call them back.

On the evening of October 15, someone moved the taped pylons out of the way, which freed up nine of the eleven spots. The morning of October 16, the spots were occupied by cars. Ten or so cones remain scattered around the other two spots.

Speculation is that pranksters stole the pylons from the construction site of the new Cardiff fire station being built directly across the freeway from the Park N Ride lot and have been having a laugh every day on commuters.