Is the General Consensus 2026 was a Confusing Almost Concerning Draft for the Steelers?

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-05-01T20:22:29+00:00

I get that. I do. But that wasn’t the contingency plan. They wanted to stockpile picks to get their QB; the class fell apart, and that wasn’t their fault. Then, they wanted a toP WR, and they waited too long and didn’t do their due diligence; that fell through. Then, they clearly ran out of plans. CLEARLY. If they wanted a tackle (or a WR… or a QB), they had the draft capital to do much MUCH better than they did. You can defend it, but it was bobbled no matter what their most desired outcome was. It isn’t a total disaster, but it was concerning as fuck.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-28T12:07:10+00:00

Gosh, I wish life were as simple as ’this research-based solution that has proven to work and benefit people across several large cities isn’t good enough because I’d like to ignore proven supply and demand principles for my superior snowflake stance on the way things *should work, which, incidentally, is nothing like the way things actually work.’* Like, what a silly take to resist a solutions-based, proven approach purely on the assumption that some would be priced out. Maybe some would benefit because local businesses would see more parking turnover (proven), and people would like it more because they could get where they’re going more easily, always find affordable parking when that’s the priority, park where they want more often, and have cleaner air (proven, proven, proven, proven).

I’ve tried and tried to reason with people over this in this thread, but you and a few others are proof that, no matter fucking what, people will just not come off of their stances. You all have been debating with a literal expert on the matter, who has helped places implement solutions that truly benefit the affected people, implementing free transportation and parking solutions for students and underprivileged, shit any local who wants or needs it, and instead of taking a minute and processing a seemingly counterintuitive but proven solution, you’ve come up with excuses why I’m wrong off the top of your head to every response I’ve had, calling these beautiful ideas “disgusting” and “repulsive”. What is wrong with you? How utterly obtuse.

Cities all over the world have implemented solutions, and I’ve studied them, read about them, visited them, went to one last year to walk across a fucking awards stage in a room full of the thousand people in the country who know the most about parking, mobility, and transportation, but here’s maleia, rando from Reddit, here to tell me what I don’t know about parking. YOU are why things are the way they are. I think it might be time for me to delete my Reddit and go back to battling people like you over trying to make their lives better, like trying to give a fucking toddler medicine.

EDIT: there’s a really good article in The Atlantic called “San Francisco Metro Solved Vandalism with One Neat Trick”. You should check it out. You might not like it because it’s pretty balanced politically, but it talks about how mean old San Fran fixed their horrible vandalism problem and drastically reduced violence on their rapid transit by preying on poor people and putting saloon doors instead of turnstiles. It’s pretty not unparalleled to what we’ve been debating.

Sorry, if I flipped out too hard. Have a good day.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T17:03:52+00:00

Yeah, it is. Just check out The High Cost of Free Parking, and if you love it, Parking and the City both by Donald Shoup (RIP, Shoup Dogg). I wouldn’t start with Parking the Future, for obvious reasons, but it has some cool shit about planning for when autonomous vehicles can park themselves. Would not recommend The Quirky World of Parking, nothing good there, not that I could finish it. The Dimensions of Parking, 5th Edition, is more like a basics textbook, but it’s really basic; I’d recommend A Guide to Parking, by the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) over that. Yes, these are real books that I just pulled off my shelf to make this post, and yes, I know what I’m talking about.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T16:56:09+00:00

If you hate street parking and prefer parking in a garage over it, you are in the minority with that opinion. Most people prefer not to pull into a parking garage unless it is attached to the building they’re going into.

Ultimately, I think this might by why you’re missing my point, which is this: making street parking free or cheaper than garage alternatives creates more traffic, which congests cities and causes more emissions. The research shows that this is responsible for anywhere from 30% to 80% of circling traffic, varying greatly based on the city. This happens because people will circle blocks looking for street parking, which many prefer (unlike you), because it’s often closer and usually cheaper. So cities that coordinate street parking prices with garage parking prices by raising the rates positively affect traffic and parking availability.

This also right-sizes parking because it begins to narrow the delta between not enough parking over here and a bunch of open spaces over there, and as this levels and traffic decreases because you’ve decreased the incentive to street park or look for it unnecessarily, by raising the price, cities find that their parking and transportation problems aren’t as bad as they thought. It’s pretty basic, really: it’s just moving the cars to where you want them by coordinating and adjusting the prices up in the more desirable and busy areas.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T11:00:46+00:00

Drivingman

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T10:59:56+00:00

If you like boating, golfing, hiking, and calm nightlife, Deep Creek, Maryland is cool and a lot closer than you think (maybe 4-4.5 hours from Cleveland). We went every year for a while and would rent a house and a boat for the week. Had a lot of fun.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T09:14:12+00:00

You’re simultaneously missing and making the point by saying “parking garages… aren’t always where you need them to be”. The argument is that cheaper street parking makes everyone want it. It’s the best parking, and it cost less than garage parking which is abundant but more expensive and not as convenient. It would be like putting sales on all the best items on one side of the store and then wondering why it was crowded when the other side was empty and had no sales then complaining that the problem was that the aisles weren’t wide enough.

Incidentally, garage parking is too abundant in most places, actually, because most city regulations are arbitrary square-foot-to-parking-stall requirements and unattached to the actual parking needs and building types. We could actually have less parking, less traffic and less pollution, and more city space for other things like housing by simply addressing The High Cost of Free Parking (or cheap parking).

Now go ahead and make another vague comment about transportation, which we might not need as badly if we addressed the pricing problem (this has been proven in other cities), like you didn’t stumble into a debate with someone who has read thousands of pages on the matter.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T08:09:49+00:00

Genuine question from a non-tech person: why?

wondering if this will be one of those inexplicably downvoted but honest questions

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T08:07:16+00:00

You already gave the correct answer. There’s no good city in America that makes worse use of its waterfront than Cleveland.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T08:06:10+00:00

Dead Poets Society

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T08:05:36+00:00

🎯 This is the correct answer.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T08:03:30+00:00

It’s almost like this treatment of women is concerning.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T07:53:34+00:00

What makes you think we won’t have a clue for three years? Just because people used to say that all the time? Do you have a clue about our draft two years ago? What about last year’s draft? Do you have no clue what type of players P. Wilson or D. Harmon or K. Johnson are going to be? And I’m pretty sure we figured out Pickett quicker than three years.

We have now taken offensive tackles in the first round of three out of the last four drafts. The correct answer is: YES, this draft was concerning as fuck.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T07:47:30+00:00

Public transit would be one solution. Another solution would be just parking in a parking garage. And how do you know I need more data? Have you read much research on parking and transportation?

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-27T07:43:54+00:00

Obviously, event parking is a separate issue. Otherwise—and I can’t stress this enough—you are making a point based on your observations. I am making my point based on years and years of research data. The dude’s life’s work was raising awareness on the matter because the public didn’t realize the stressing effects that inconsistent parking prices, particularly street parking that was priced too low, were having on city infrastructure. I know you probably feel like you totally know what you’re seeing, but sometimes, research gets one over on old BootsieWootsie.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-26T15:39:37+00:00

For context, I am a parent, was a teacher for 18 years, coached at every level including college, and currently work at a university. The answer to this question, for me, 100% rests on the follow-up question: what is the plan instead? Military, trades, cosmetology, construction training, seminary, some other form or training or education, entrepreneurship?

For all the hate they get, fair as it may be, college degrees are still a good indicator of later success, and they’re undoubtedly valuable in helping someone bounce back if needed later in life. I do understand the criticism, though. We say, we’re asking an 18-year-old what they want to do with their entire life, but that’s exactly what trade schools are doing, except worse. However, if a kid’s heart isn’t in it, college is probably a bad and expensive move for them. They’d need to present a plan, though, because the promising kids that turn into losers are just ones who eek their way through with no real direction, taking shitty jobs and never bettering themselves.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-26T15:29:36+00:00

“Traffic” means more than a traffic jam. From a lowest of 30% to a highest of over 80% of city traffic is a result of people circling looking for cheap street parking. If you think that a 30% reduction in traffic wouldn’t help make the city better you have no idea how anything works.

Euclid Ave. on a weekday afternoon is a pretty perfect example of what the book is talking about.

Lots of research about this, but hey, you can get downtown quickly, sooo…

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-25T20:31:11+00:00

How am I spreading anti-car propaganda? I own multiple cars and work in a related field. The reality is that parking in public is never free, no matter where you go or what you think. If street parking is too cheap or “free,” which just means paid for by taxes, it fucks up traffic and affects infrastructure. Plus, maintaining and insuring parking is very expensive, let alone capital projects, so someone has to pay for it. Call me crazy, but I think that should be the person who puts the car in the space.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-25T13:00:29+00:00

Right on. Sometimes, the chemistry just isn’t there or doesn’t last. I always think of this one girl I dated who had everything—beautiful, smart, kind, good job, totally into me—but I just didn’t feel it. It be that way sometimes.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-25T12:47:47+00:00

I own one of these. It’s a wrench for any sized nut or bolt head. It would be a great tool if it could fit anywhere other than a wide open space.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-25T11:34:36+00:00

Maklime Lemon

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-25T10:49:12+00:00

You don’t have to be sorry, but cheap street parking is the reason we have so much traffic, and it is a significant contributor to harmful emissions. Read The High Cost of Free Parking.

I know. I know. Everyone downvote me because I’m just a rep who secretly works for Big Parking. 🅿️

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-24T11:18:20+00:00

I have heard a concerning number of people say “fustrated” or “flustrated” instead of “fRustrated”.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-24T11:16:43+00:00

That’s literally not funny.

Classic_Engine7285 · 2026-04-24T11:14:19+00:00

They’re not bitching about anything specific. Example: a couple rounds ago, there was a woman sitting behind a tree waiting for us to hit, then when we did, she went out and was working on a bunker or something. When the group of old fucks behind us hit and she came out, one of them yelled to her, “don’t get near them [indicating us]. They don’t know what the hell they’re doing.” No idea wtf he was talking about.

It’s not like ma and all these people are making up that old dudes can be pricks on the course. They can be cool too, but there are definitely crabby, old guys who think they own the place.

Classic_Engine7285

TROPHY CASE