Obviously intent on impressing my new boss with a healthy body, healthy mind approach, I took my exercise by way of a stroll to work on each of the mornings I was there.
One such stroll coincided with the opening of a motorcycle shop - the owner/manager/guy was busy pushing as many motorbikes as he could across the footpath in front of his building and on to the side of the road.
All lined up, the bikes certainly made an impressive sight but I wondered how he'd get away with taking up all those parking spaces.
I needn't have worried, a quick inspection of the sign found the parking spaces outside his shop were for motorbikes.
Only trouble was there was no space left.
It was all used up by his display models.
I pondered the amusing conundrum as I ambled towards the office.
By the way, a stroll becomes an amble when you ponder ... and when the baked beans you had for breakfast start to rumble in your belly.
Anyway.
I got to thinking this shop was doing itself a disservice.
Sure, it was marketing its bikes to the passing public and making use of the motorcycle parking space legally, but wasn't it shooting itself in the foot?
I mean, you're riding your motorbike down the street, you see a shiny new one and think "upgrade" (or "bugger" depending on your bank balance) but you can't stop to check it out because there's no parking.
I wonder how their business is going.
From what I've seen there's a few similarities in our fair city.
The council's free parking plan to attract shoppers back to the CBD with a couple of hours' free parking is all well and good, but what about when all that space gets hijacked by the shop workers themselves?
Who hasn't seen the odd staffer pop out to check whether the dreaded chalk mark has been applied to a tyre or to stick a few bob in the meter?
It's certainly happened to me. I was in a bank making a deposit when the teller suddenly shrieked and raced out the door.
Now obviously I was a little alarmed at this. Initially I thought she was in shock because I was, for once, putting money in rather than taking it out. But then I caught sight of her sprinting across the road to her car on the other side just as the meter maid was coming along.
The meter fed, she returned as if nothing had happened.
And before you ask, yes, I did say "a bank".
Obviously it's not a good look. And obviously staff are ratepayers too so they should get some benefit from the free regime. But using the meters outside all day and perhaps stopping shoppers coming in, which keeps the business afloat, pays the wages etc? Come on.
Maybe we need an incentive to persuade people to stop parking outside work. What's wrong with a little stroll at the start and end of the working day?
Perhaps those who agree to keep spaces free for shoppers and park a little further out could go in the draw to win a big prize or something. What about a motorbike?
I've a feeling there may be some coming up cheap in Tauranga soon.
Kevin Page has been a journalist for 34 years. He hasn't made enough money to retire after writing about serious topics for years so he's giving humour a shot instead.
