Car parking spaces

Increase the minimum driving age limit, make the driving test more difficult, make traffic penalties more severe, ban all vehicles once they get to a certain age, ban all drivers who have criminal convictions, fit speed limiters to all vehicles, crush all Audis and BMWs.
 
Sponsored Links
I noticed a thread on bad parking in the jokes section which led me to post this.

What's your opinion/view on the size of car parking spaces and layouts? I want to give you two extreme examples. We have a smallish drop-in Coop in our town. Only has circa 12 spaces configured into what's a relatively tight overall piece of tarmac. However, compared to many car parks, the spaces are massive width wise! Ok maybe not massive, however I reckon they're easily 60cm/24in wider than a typical space. It makes parking a breeze and no concerns about door dings! They could no doubt have created another 2-3 spaces but obviously made a conscious decision to have wider spaces so well done them.

Compare that to the local retail park. Very tight spaces unless you drive a supermini and lack of cordoned off sections at row ends making it VERY difficult to pull out into the traffic flow especially if it's an SUV parked at the ends! This isn't just a legacy issue as they recently carried out remedial work at one section, however no increase in space size and no cordoned off row ends!

I get that retailers want/need to ensure maximum parking, however given the average size of a vehicle today, surely the regulations around the creation of parking should have kept pace over the past 20+ years? It can even be argued there's a risk to public safety. Ok, just now places are a lot quieter for obvious reasons, however venture into a retail park on a busy weekend and it's rare not to see at least one or two near misses, whether cars or cars almost hitting people!

And let's face it, throw into the mix the fact that many people can't park properly and you have a recipe for disaster.

I was going to say you need to get out more.......................... ;)
 
Sponsored Links
But you have to believe me Mr Covid Marshall, someone called ReganAndCarter on a diy forum TOLD me I needed to get out more :(

Sorry, Sonny - you're nicked! Glad you brought your tape measure, because you're going away for a long stretch! (y)

Know what you mean though, because the spaces in Waitrose are minute. Can't imagine how the yummy mummies get their Chelsea tractors in them.
 
Sorry, Sonny - you're nicked! Glad you brought your tape measure, because you're going away for a long stretch! (y)

Know what you mean though, because the spaces in Waitrose are minute. Can't imagine how the yummy mummies get their Chelsea tractors in them.
Lol!

I suppose I just find it verging on ludicrous that spaces and new build garages are often too tight for modern cars. They must use this as their reference vehicle ...

Image1.jpg
 
I live in Mid Wales, and to have a 4 x 4 is required in the Winter, but I also have a small car, and I select car depending on where I am going, the Honda Jazz does not have the ground clearance for some places I go. But the Kia Sorento has a better turning circle to the Honda so it is not always small is better.

However for many years I have driven a GoCar which was a Renault Kangoo van converter into an ambulance to carry my mother in her wheel chair, and we had many problems parking where my mother could get out of the car, she liked to travel in the front, but that mean the passenger door needed to be wide open, but even when travelling in the back, we had problems, and in places where the designers should have known better, Wrexham hospital some daft twit had put planters between disabled car park and path, so wheel chairs had to be loaded and unloaded into the road, if the disabled car park was full the main car park had no ramps to get onto the pavement so forced to wheel her down the road.

The same with shop car parks, bollards so could not reverse in and open back door, had to unload into the traffic, having the end of each row reserved for the disabled would allow disabled use without needing extra space, but they are also handy for large vehicles and as said stop smaller vehicles being able to see when the way is clear.

Even had one car park in Shrewsbury where I could drive in but not out due to hight restriction on out only, and had to leave through the in route. I did not need to park close with mother, just needed extra room, and I think the same applies to semi-commercial vehicles, it is so easy to direct the semi-commercial like my Kia to bays further from the shop, if on holiday towing the caravan I have no option, but would normally use the small car for shopping, but when there were no disabled spaces I have used mother and child, I clearly was my mothers child even if in my 60's since mother was in a wheel chair it was very clear why I was using the space, but had young mothers complaining.

But the regulations do have a reverse problem, they stipulate in the main 1.8 meters wide normal and 2.7 meters wide for disabled, and as a result the markings are often placed to those sizes even when to get into the space 1.8 meters is not really enough. My Kia is 1.863 meters wide, so if the bay is correct width I need to use the area in next door bay, Honda Jazz is 1.694 so those 1.8 meter bays are tight. Even the Vauxhall Agila is 1.68 meters wide. And very few cars that narrow.
 
Lol!

I suppose I just find it verging on ludicrous that spaces and new build garages are often too tight for modern cars.

your right, they use a standardised system from the dark ages which hasn't been amended for modern vehicles that with every new model increase in size.

the theory says that there is no need to increase this as the roads are the same size, but the problem is modern vehicles have now extended themselves to the width limits of the roads,

modern cars can no longer be driven into a normal single door garage and for the occupant to be able to get out.
 
your right, they use a standardised system from the dark ages which hasn't been amended for modern vehicles that with every new model increase in size.

the theory says that there is no need to increase this as the roads are the same size, but the problem is modern vehicles have now extended themselves to the width limits of the roads,

modern cars can no longer be driven into a normal single door garage and for the occupant to be able to get out.


You're making the mistaken presumption that our infrastructure is either well-planned, or is intended to continue to accommodate private car use.
It isn't.
Driving is getting more and more tedious year on year, through both increases in use, and policy.
 
My old workplace was built in the early 70's and the car park was lined for 1970's vehicles. every now and again they'd remark over the original lines.
Great if you owned a BMC mini or a 70's escort.
Costco are really good on spaces.
My local Sainsbury's used a double line closed at the end that at least gives 6" between where next door's car space stops and your begins.
But some people just park their car like a scalectric so their bonnet aligns with the white line.

I drive a big saloon with terrible vision to the rear, so I have a reversing camera fitted to help. I almost always reverse into a space, for easier exit - unless there is a sound reason not to. Reversing in, I can use my door mirrors to see and align with the white lines perfectly, going in forwards, I have to guess or judge where the lines are. Reversing in, also has the advantage when loading shopping, that I can load the boot without risking being in the way of passing traffic.

Why do so many go in nose first?
 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top