Thread by @NaomiKritzer

So back in 2016, I got a survey from the @CityMinneapolis asking if I'd ever used the Impound Lot's services, which I thought was a pretty hilarious way of asking if they'd ever towed my car.

I joked around about this on my Facebook and a friend who'd had her car towed a few months earlier noted that the nearest bus stop was six blocks away. Through an industrial area: very dark, quiet, and isolated at night.

Anyway I checked off "transit improvements" as a way they could improve things and pretty much forgot about it, since getting my car towed by the City of Minneapolis is honestly not something that comes up ALL that often for me.

Today, one of my other friends had his car towed. He got a ride over. This is what he saw.

It took him 20 minutes of his friend driving him around in the rain, periodically jumping out to try doors on nondescript buildings that turned out to be locked, before he realized that the building with the sign on it saying CLOSED was in fact the building he needed to go into.

Dear @CityMinneapolis and @Jacob_Frey -- for real, how difficult would it be to add signage?

As my friend noted, literally all he needed was a sign saying PAY TOWING FEE HERE with an arrow.

Also, I looked up transit and the nearest bus stop is STILL six blocks away.

This is the IMPOUND LOT, which is to say, the place where people's cars get towed, which means a lot of the people trying to get there DON'T HAVE A CAR TO USE TO GET THERE.

Bus routes are complicated but THIS IS OBVIOUS.

And signage? Signage is not complicated. SIGNAGE IS REALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD.

1. PUT UP SIGNS TELLING PEOPLE WHERE TO GO.

People arrive already in a bad mood. Making them play "guess which mystery building contains the office you're looking for!" is not going to improve anyone's disposition.

2. DO NOT PUT A SIGN SAYING "CLOSED" ON THE BUILDING THAT IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND ALSO THE ONE EVERYONE IS SUPPOSED TO GO TO. ARE YOU PEOPLE A BUNCH OF SADISTS? LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS UP WITH THIS?

Anyway my friend sent out an e-mail imploring his friends to pass along the suggestion of VAGUELY ADEQUATE SIGNAGE if we knew anyone who worked for the city and might give a crap so HEY @Jacob_Frey PLEASE FIX THE SIGNAGE AT THE IMPOUND LOT, THANK YOU.

And also @MetroTransitMN the fact that there is not a bus stop ***AT*** the Impound Lot (not six! blocks! away! through the dark! which comes as early as 4:30 p.m. during snow emergency season!) is RIDICULOUS.