[ry57pont]

What is going on here.... do we still live in america? something is not right. looks like some warning signs to me. hide you childern, there next

http://www.infowars.com/government-b...ketball-hoops/

[Bjorn]

well, in defense of the City...those hoops were on City property....placed about 8 foot outside the home owners property...
best bet is to put them on your own property...I installed ours on the side of the driveway....
imo, they should just remove them, but not take them away....

[arbys]

I'm with Bjorn on this one. If a car struck that pole or a kid ran into it with his bike and got hurt, who would be liable? It would be the city. Your homeowners insurance would probably not cover it because it's not on your property.

[mrrat1]

Lots of traffic on a cul-de-sac to warrant the removal & costs to the tax payers! I think not.........I would have ticketed the police car for blocking the driveway......Dave K.

[68lemansman]

Well I Live in delaware and thats where this took place.I cant believe they actually did this. ive heard of them saying you cant have it up and out in the street but they supposedly gave you the chance to move it off the street cause they were movable basketball courts, but thats just wrong how they come that early in the morning and take your stuff. Deldot is the guys in the orange truck they get paid good money to do absolutely nothing. Thats really Bulls*** that they lied to the guy and told him that they were gonna leave it on his lawn but couldnt have it up and then took it.

[Overkillphil]

The person who wrote that story is completely clueless. What does Private Property rights have to do with leaving basketball hoops on municipal (public) property. www.infowars.com? What's that, another wacko site where the news is created in someones basement?

These portable basketball hoops are a big problem around here in PA. too. The municipalilties keep posting on their websites, sending letters to homeowners that the portable hoops have to be moved off the Twp. property (front part of lawn is typically part of the public road easement and muncipal property, not part of the homeowners property) and people ignore it. Others move it and then put it right back. Some streets have these every few houses and it really junks up the neighborhood after awhile. Talk about wasting public money, it takes quite a bit of manpower to follow up on this type of stuff which is everywhere in the town.

So now they just remove them as if they were junk left at the curb. If homeowners would get their heads out of their collective asses and educate themselves about their property lines, easements, etc. they would better understand why this stuff was removed in the first place.

I hope they try to sue the municipality and get another rude awakening when they find out they have no case. Try placing one of those portable hoops in a Park, in a middle of a road, or howabout in front of the Town Hall? Same thing as putting it out at the curb in front of a house.

[68lemansman]

Originally Posted by Overkillphil

Big problem around here in PA. too. The municipalilties keep posting on their websites, sending letters to homeowners that the portable hoops have to be moved off the Twp. property (front part of lawn is typically part of the road easement) and people ignore it. Others move it and then put it right back. Some streets have these every few houses and it really junks up the neighborhood after awhile.

So now they just remove them as if they were junk left at the curb. If homeowners would get their heads out of their collective asses and educate themselves about their property lines, easements, etc. they would better understand why this stuff was removed in the first place.

I hope they try to sue the municipality and get another crash course on why that won't work in this case.

I totally agree They do clog up the streets but i just love how they got deldot to do it and its bad enough that the roads are messed up and not fixed but this is more important?

[ry57pont]

i can agree that if the city needed to have access to the easment, the hoop is gone i put underground sprinkler lines in the easment knowing that if any work is done and a line gets cut its on me, no biggie. but.. you would have a hard time convinceing me that kids shooting hoops in a cul-d-sak is a crime. i suppose you could find some lawyer that would take the case against the city (and win) but thats another travisty in itself.


it reminds me of the vet who couldent have his flag on his property because of the covenates of the neighborhood. at some point common sense needs to kick in.

[ho428]

you would have a hard time convinceing me that kids shooting hoops in a cul-d-sak is a crime.

If you put it in that context you can make anything look silly.

I'm with the city on this one, and I'd bet they'd been warned time and again before they took them.

Public streets are no place for basketball hoops, hockey goals, or any other game structures.
Streets and roads are for the passing of cars, trucks and delivery of commerce, unless it is a privately owned street.
Last thing anyone wants to deal with is 20 basketball goals in front of 20 houses in a row. Where do you draw the line on enforcement?

Our HOA has private roads and we don't allow anything in the roads like b-ball goals, hockey or soccer goals, etc... even though we have 7 cul-de-sacs.
But kids do ride bikes, people walk their dogs, jog, etc... on the roads since we don't have sidewalks.

[ry57pont]

i must really be in left field on this one. i guess i can just remember playing all the time in the street as a kid.

[Overkillphil]

No, you're not in left field. Alot of us did that. But I don't remember anyone on our street as a kid in the 60's and 70's having basketball hoops or any other sports equipment set up at the curb. There was maybe one or two in the neighborhood and they were permanent ones on the side of a driveway or hung off the front of a detached garage.

I don't think it was such a problem then because these things either weren't in vogue, weren't available or weren't even made. Besides, most of our parents couldn't afford something like that back then anyway.

[Bjorn]

the hoops placed on public property is the issue...there usually not an easement there, (in some cities there are...water lines , gas etc, ), but they are in the city`s R.O.W. (Right of way)...property line is typically 10 feet back from street, the rest is 'public' space , for such as sidewalks etc...typically here in Houston , you have the property line 10 ft back from curb, then 2 ft grass then 4 ft sidewalk, then 4 ft grass....mail boxes , as being federal can be placed in this ROW, and street lights , fire hydrant etc...if you put private property there , its gone...
"playing in the street" is one thing, but placing fixed structures is not allowed...."portable" fixtures ,such as basket hoops when left there are considered 'permanent'....
I think if a home owner pulled the hoop out to play, then removed it afterwards would be ok, just as most places wont let you park 24 hrs in said street ROW

[Sirrotica]

I have issue with kids playing basketball in the street. When I'm driving through a neighborhood and come upon kids doing this they seem unconcerned with traffic, and PO that they have to stop their game to let a car pass and then begrudgingly it seems FINALLY move out of the way. Yes we played on the street too as kids but it seemed we were always interested in getting out of the way when traffic was coming upon us, much more-so that kids today are.

Back in the mid 80s in my hometown before the portable hoops were common place there were homeowners that erected hoops on the edge of the road and cemented them into the ground on the easement. The township sent letters and some removed them, and some did not. When the deadline came the township took them and cut them off at the ground level with a cutting torch and left them in the owners front yard off the right of way. The homeowners were assessed a fee for removal of said erections too. I feel the township was well within their rights to do what they did

I have a question, If the municipality you live in took say 4 safety horses and placed them in your front yard (clearly on your property and not on the easement) and left them there, even after you repeatedly called their offices to ask them to remove them and they continued to ignore your pleas. Would you take some form of self remedy to get them out of your front yard? I believe most of us here would and It's not such a far stretch of the imagination to see why the municipality took the initiative to remove the basketball hoops, at least not when you look at it from the other side of the fence.

Usually I have found most municipalities do not go looking to bust a taxpayers chops, however when they get a complaint or many complaints about something it is their duty to act on the complaints. Most likely the kids were blocking the road and someone got tired of stopping their car until the kids got good and ready to move out of the way and complained. The cops come and find hoops within the right of way and act accordingly. Much easier to remove the source of congestion than to keep sending the cops there each time they get a complaint about obstruction of the thoroughfare. This time I'm gonna vote for the municipality and their actions.

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by ry57pont

it reminds me of the vet who couldn't have his flag on his property because of the covenates of the neighborhood. at some point common sense needs to kick in.

That was no NORMAL vet:

http://american-valor.com/military-t...n-barfoot-moh/

Some of these neighborhood "associations" forget how 'small' they really are in the scheme of things.

Tom Vaught

[blue goats]

Hey 68 .Who should pick up things in the clear zone or row in your opinion? Dead deer,trash debri from unsecured trucks ,fallen trees, broken car parts from accidents or bb hoops on state maintained roads? The violators in that subdivsion were given certified letters 6 months ago about the hoops.This all came about because 1 neighbor couldn't work it out with another. Do you really believe Del DOT patrols subdivisions for violations?There was a complaint, it was investigated, and all hoops in violation in Radner Greene were removed to show no favoritism. Oh yeah, if you think De state maintenence and operations employees are overpaid, you don't know any.Nobody on that crew makes more than 13.00/hour and most of them about 9 or 10/hr.
I don't mean to offend but that was some pretty biased reporting and even the News Journal is trying to wash it's dirty hands of this.

George
One more thing Del DOT would have left it for the owner but he said he would put it back once they left. That wasn't on the video.The reporter edited that out.That is common knowledge with all involved. What would you do? Come back and do this again and catch crap from your boss or lie.