[Musicmaker23]

I got my i20 last year & had to park my car on the street as there wasn't any parking available in my building compound. Spent the next 8 months trying to squeeze my car into spots closer to my residence, "almost" bumping other cars, & in general losing my temper at how people had parked their cars.

One of the last things i do when i'm done parking is check how close my car is to the sidewalk & how much space I've left between myself and the other cars. If i'm parking next to a gate/curb, I tend to park closest to the edge, so there's still space in front of me for another car.

It always irritates me when i see a car parked in such a way that it disallows others from parking next to it, in spite of there being ample space. There's this particular Nano in my area that always parks smack in the middle of two potential spaces, thereby not allowing a car on either side; a crime that should be punishable by death, considering the dearth of parking space in Bombay.

Another set of people, at great risk to their own cars, park diagonally on streets when there isn't any space left; the tail ends of their cars jutting out!

Has anyone else also faced problems like these? Do you follow parking etiquette?

[Skye1592]

I do follow the parking etiquette. But I can understand your frustration. Even Bangalore is a city where there are more vehicles than there are parking spots.
Parking your car adjacent to the road, leaving enough space for other cars to pass and park in front/behind yours is the right thing to do. I also understand the irony in that Nano in your area.. Nano being one of smallest car in dimensions and even then taking up all the space. The people are not considerate at all. They all have a "I'll do what I want, screw you" kind of attitude.

You should try to find an empty parking spot within walking distance of your house. I think it's the best thing to do.

[rajushank84]

I think what you say will ring a bell with everyone here . It can be very irritating when people park without a thought for others. However, what I find is the bike owners are more guilty of this (at least in my area). Let me illustrate with an example. There is a supermarket complex in my area, with a plan like this:



However, what I find on most evenings is this .



All the bikes are parked away from each other, with about the space of two bikes between each other. All on side-stand of course. In effect, no car can come inside the complex.

No amount of complaining to the supermarket owner helps. To be fair, he is just one of the tenants in the building complex. The watchman of the complex actually belongs to the apartment complext behind these front shops, so he also doesn't care - as long as no one blocks the gate.

[sreepy]

I always ensure that I use optimal space for parking my car. I don't want to create a hindrance to others, but very few people on the road are of the same opinion. I really lose my cool when I see bikes parked behind my car leaving absolutely no space to get out of the parking.
Marked parking bays may provide a solution. They might induce a little "Parking Etiquette".

[libranof1987]

From what I gather, a lot of people (in narrow residential lanes) park their vehicles in such a way that the 1 vehicle takes the place of 2 just to dissuade non-residents from parking in that area.

I know people who park their 2-wheelers haphazardly during the day so the parking spot is there when the car comes back at night.

About parking on public roads, I feel the situation is much better when the convention is parallel parking rather than the inclined one as people almost certainly don't bother about ensuring the car is within the 2 stripes.

When I park, I generally leave a foot or so space at either ends so I have space to take the car out. Of course this is only if the person parking next in front of/behind me as an equal amount of brains!

India should really follow the western culture of issuing/retaining DLs where the process itself is so strict, people take multiple no. of attempts to get the DL and lose points every time they break rules; even as seemingly trivial as parking etiquette.

[Musicmaker23]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

I think what you say will ring a bell with everyone here . It can be very irritating when people park without a thought for others. However, what I find is the bike owners are more guilty of this (at least in my area).

I completely agree with you. Most bikers i see park parallel to the sidewalk, taking up way more space compared to if they would've parked perpendicular to it.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

When I park, I generally leave a foot or so space at either ends so I have space to take the car out. Of course this is only if the person parking next in front of/behind me as an equal amount of brains!

Assuming others will be smart enough is a huge liability on our part! I once parked my car with about a foot and half both in front of and behind my car. I come back in the evening & see the car parked in front has been replaced by the same Nano i spoke of earlier & that fellow is now touching my front bumper. There was no way i could even attempt to remove my car now. Eventually i had to make a lot of calls to figure out the telephone number of the owner & i shouted asking why he had left about 5 feet of space in front of him empty & chosen to "kiss" my car!
I wonder if leaving notes under their wipers would make them take notice of their mistake.

[dot]

In public parking lots I try to leave as much gap as possible between cars when parking side by side. Many times attendants fret around if the gap is too much. Same in office or home parking lots.

While parallel parking I try to park as close to the kerb, leave about a foot of space between cars (if possible) and fold the mirrors.

The idea is not only for other's benefit but also to prevent scratches on my car.

Frankly, 99% of scratches on my cars have come while they were parked in a public place.

Definitely bikers are the worst culprits when it comes to parking, however many bike to car graduates also retain these "nice" habits.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by dot

In public parking lots I try to leave as much gap as possible between cars when parking side by side. Many times attendants fret around if the gap is too much. Same in office or home parking lots.

I do the same thing but I have burnt my fingers quite often.

The car which was earlier in the front/rear moves out and another clown comes in and feels it is moral duty to ensure not an inch of the road goes waste. End result : I have no place to move out my car!

Another irritating thing is when bikes practice parallel parking; you can't park parallel to them and effectively they waste a space which could have been used effectively by a car.

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by Musicmaker23

One of the last things i do when i'm done parking is check how close my car is to the sidewalk & how much space I've left between myself and the other cars. If i'm parking next to a gate/curb, I tend to park closest to the edge, so there's still space in front of me for another car.

Originally Posted by dot

Frankly, 99% of scratches on my cars have come while they were parked in a public place.

Ditto for me. All scratches were at 0-2kmph. Parking situations mostly. I regularly incur the wrath of wifey, since I end up leaving so little space on the LHS that she has problems opening the door (if there's a bush/wall/high kerb etc) !!

Frankly, IMO, if you cannot park a car properly, you are an irresponsible driver.

[jayguar]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

I think what you say will ring a bell with everyone here . ...

Attachment 541524

However, what I find on most evenings is this .

Attachment 541530

All the bikes are parked away from each other, with about the space of two bikes between each other. All on side-stand of course. In effect, no car can come inside the complex.

No amount of complaining to the supermarket owner helps. To be fair, he is just one of the tenants in the building complex. ...

Are you talking about Ragamalika appts? If so I can understand your frustration. Most of the time, I do not bring my car to the supermarket. I have seen several times bikes parked right in middle of the way preventing cars to enter the parking area.

[rajushank84]

Yes, I'm referring to raagamalika apts. For some strange reason my mom & wife refuse to buy groceries anywhere other than city super market

[akhil_007]

Originally Posted by Musicmaker23

I once parked my car with about a foot and half both in front of and behind my car. I come back in the evening & see the car parked in front has been replaced by the same Nano i spoke of earlier & that fellow is now touching my front bumper. There was no way i could even attempt to remove my car now.

On a lighter note,You should probably start learning those moves from the movie Shaolin Soccer Might help you not only in getting the car out but parking them in, as well.

Coming to the point. I had parked my car in between 2 cars. There was around 1-1.5 feet distance on either sides of my car. I came back after some time to see that the entire left side of my car(front & rear door) was dented, scratched and that black thingy(I call it beading) was lying on the ground.

[dot]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

The car which was earlier in the front/rear moves out and another clown comes in and feels it is moral duty to ensure not an inch of the road goes waste. End result : I have no place to move out my car!

Exactly. Thats why I fold the ORVMs. Who knows whether they would remain intact when we come back! But folding ORVM also has another effect, it reduces the effective distance even more and the car next to you parks even closer!!

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Whenever we park on the side of the road (dad/me), we always spend nearly 5 minutes in:
1) Ensuring we are not parking in a "NO-Parking" zone.
2) Ensuring that the distance between our wheel-caps and the footpath in under 1/2 ft.
3) Seeing that there is atleast 3 metres space between the cars behind and in front of us to reverse/park.
4) Fold our ORVMs.

I hope we qualify to be etiquette parkers.

[Rock 'n' rollz]

This happened with me on a Saturday morning, a couple of months back. I had to withdraw some cash from the ATM. So I parked my Punto along the curb side behind an auto rickshaw. There was a tempo standing next to the auto rickshaw. All three had enough space to move our vehicles out without any issues. Following pic shows the way Auto rickshaw and my car were parked.



So I crossed the road. Including a couple of minutes waiting period in the queue, I was out of the ATM in 5 minutes flat.

I crossed the road, came back and realized that the auto guy had left. A Ford Fusion was parked diagonally in that space blocking my any possible forward movement. Behind me was a Ford Fiesta parked inches apart from my rear bumper. The Fiesta guy had left his entire family in the car including his parents, wife and a kid. Initially I thought that the guy would have left the A.C. ON, so I could just reverse his car a bit and I am free. But the great soul had switched off his car and didn't leave the key behind. Also I couldn't understand the reason he had to park his vehicle inches behind the next stationary vehicle. This is how the cars were parked on my return.



I cursed by luck and was wondering how could people be so careless, irresponsible and insensitive towards fellow road users. Looking at the way the Fusion was parked, my initial guess was it would be a lady driver. (Reason?? My wife has a similar approach towards parking. Consequence: She gets to drive, if at all, on highways only).

I had to wait patiently for next 15 odd minutes when the driver of the Fusion turned up and guess what... it was a lady (late 30s, formal attire etc) ;-). I waved my hand asking her if this was the right way of parking one's car. Only thing that I was expecting from her was an apologetic look but... what I got in return was a finger.

I was left speechless by her act. Don't know how to react to such incidences.