Our fourth paper in ENG101 was a problem/solution. Initially this one drove me up the wall, as the stated parameters were to find a limited, personal real-world issue. This meant I couldn’t come up with something fun (along the lines of Jonathan Swift’s ‘A Modest Proposal’, and I had a devil of a time coming up with a suitable topic — most issues I have in my life either aren’t that big, or are so big that there’s no one simple solution (for instance, the ongoing project of rebuilding my credit score).
In the end, though, I did manage to come up with something, and got another perfect 4.0. So far, so good…
Michael Hanscom
JC Clapp
English 101
February 16, 2006
The following is a letter to the landlords of my apartment complex detailing an issue I have found with our parking lot, and my proposed solution.
— Roosevelt Way NE Apt. —
Seattle, WA 98–
February 16, 2006
G– and R–, Managers
— Apartments
— Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98–
Dear G– and R–,
In the months since we moved in to our apartment, Prairie and I have noticed one issue with the complex that has been concerning us. Namely, people often park on Roosevelt Way with the nose of their car or van right up to the very edge of the driveway that exits from the main parking lot. 
Because their vehicles are parked so close to the driveway, it is often extremely difficult for one coming out of the parking lot to see down Roosevelt Way in order to tell if there is any oncoming traffic. Both Prairie and I have come frighteningly close to getting hit on more than one occasion as we’ve edged our car further and further into the street in an effort to see if it’s safe to pull out of the parking lot.
As many (if not most) other parking lots have a ‘No Parking’ sign that prevents anyone from parking within a certain distance of the entrance or exit to a parking lot, I was curious as to whether it would be possible to create some form of ‘No Parking’ zone around the exit to our lot in order to improve the available line of sight and reduce the possibility of an accident. At first I assumed that this would be an issue for the city to handle, but it appears that this is not the case.
After a little research on the City of Seattle Department of Transportation website, I found that according to Seattle Municipal Code 11.72.110, parking within five feet of a driveway entrance or exit is actually illegal. According to SMC 11.72.110, “No person shall stand or park a vehicle…within five feet (5′) of the end of a constructed driveway return…, or if none, within five feet (5′) of the projection of the edge of the driveway….”
It does appear that enforcing this rule is low enough on the City’s priority list that it is left up to the property owners to mark the appropriate ‘No Parking’ zones. 
As stated in SMC 11.72.120, “The prohibited area for driveway returns described in Section 11.72.110 may be maintained with traffic yellow paint by the property owner or occupant.”
We are curious if it would be possible to either put another ‘No Parking’ sign a few feet before the driveway entrance or to mark the curb with the required yellow stripe. Only one parking spot on the street would be affected, and the resulting increase in line of sight down Roosevelt Way would be greatly appreciated every time we exit the lot. If necessary, I would be quite willing to contribute financially toward the paint or the new sign, as well as to assist with the curb painting or sign installation.
Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Michael Hanscom