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Rundown Piaggio Ape Turned Parklet Is an Awesome Example of Malicious Compliance

There’s an old phrase comparing life in the city to a “concrete jungle.” It is still relevant today, perhaps even more so as alternative means of transport around the city strive for acceptance in the limited, ever-busier physical landscape.
Adam Tranter's parklet is divisive but a brilliant example of malicious compliance 6 photos
Photo: Twitter / Adam Tranter
Adam Tranter's parklet is divisive but a brilliant example of malicious complianceAdam Tranter's parklet is divisive but a brilliant example of malicious complianceAdam Tranter's parklet is divisive but a brilliant example of malicious complianceThe Piaggio Ape, a three-wheeled light commercial vehicleThe Piaggio Ape with a flatbed, used as a delivery vehicle
Parklets are not new to the urban landscape. As the name implies, they’re teeny-tiny parks slash green zones, either set up by authorities or local businesses, to provide more space and amenities for people using the street. That usually means favoring pedestrians and cyclists, to the detriment of car owners, since parklets use public parking spaces—sometimes even several of them.

Every once in a while, parklets come to be as instances of malicious compliance or subversive acts from activists aiming to reduce motor vehicle ownership and traffic. This is one such case, and its big unveiling yesterday has prompted a very heated debate on social media. Is this a way of giving back to the community, as the mastermind behind it claims, or is it a way of stealing from it, since it directly impacts car owners by depriving them of a public parking space?

Speaking of the mastermind, his name is Adam Tranter, and he describes himself on Twitter as “Bicycle Mayor of Coventry” (in the UK) who “wants safer streets for more walking and cycling.” He divides his time between Coventry and London, and the location for his parklet is a stone’s throw away from the Abbey Fields car and car park.

At first, he tried to set up a proper parklet, he says on Twitter, but was soon discouraged by authorities: parking spaces were exclusively destined for motor vehicles. So, perhaps taking inspiration from many other “cardeners” before him, he turned a rundown Piaggio Ape into the parklet so that it now provides a quaint and quite nice resting place for a couple of people. He even got a permit, as proven by the sticker on the window.

Tranter’s idea is that public parking should be available for pedestrians and cyclists, too, since it’s public—and not be used as car storage at all times. He thinks this is his way of giving back to the community by offering an alternative that is inclusive.

His project has attained near-viral status and, with the increased attention, comes the controversy. While most commenters praise him for his project, there are plenty who don’t see it in the same positive light. If you turn a public space meant for parking into anything else, isn’t that stealing from the community—and for an ego project, no less?

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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