One solution to crooked parkers
Posted on March 31st, 2009 – 10:18 AMBy Roadguy
When a car is moron-parked over the line and taking up two spaces, Roadguy has often wished for super-human strength to pick it up and move it over to where it belongs. This comic, sent in by alert reader Steve, suggests something more drastic.
14 Responses to "One solution to crooked parkers"
I hate that! There’s a moron at my workplace who, every day, backs their big yellow pickup truck into the parking space and usually winds up spilling over into the adjacent space rendering it virtually unusable by all but the smallest of cars. The reason for backing in escapes me as I see no advantage in it. It makes you wonder, are idiots incapable of parking within the lines because they’re sloppy and ignorant, selfish and inconsiderate, or just simply oblivious to the world around them?
all of the above!
and the moron in the yellow truck is definitely sending the message that it’s more important to leave work than start work, don’t you think?
Many times, I’ve thought of leaving a note on this person’s windshield asking them why they do this, and why don’t they do a better job of centering their vehicle. But then I wonder, what good would it do? I mean, either they don’t see what they’re doing (which makes them stupid and unlikely to see my point), or they don’t care (which means they wouldn’t change their behavior). A couple of strategically placed keys may make me feel better, but would do nothing to fix the problem. Like for every other moronic parker out there, how do you get the message across without the threat of damage to their vehicle? Especially the drivers of expensive vehicles who do this intentionally and obviously don’t care? If I could be a cop for a day, I’d drive all around the Cities looking for this type of parking behavior and likely run out of tickets by noon.
When I was in high school, I knew someone who drove a 1980 Chevy Impala, primer-colored. He would seek out parked cars that were taking up too much room, and intentionally park them in and/or park too close. Because really, what did he care what happened to the junker? He got cursed at a lot, but had quite a bit of fun doing so…
If you’re not familiar with this particular comic strip, there is always mouseover text that appears when you hold your mouse above the image. It often has a second joke in it (as it does this time)
Priceless! The caption is the best part.
C’mon Roadguy, who are you kidding? You’d use that super-human strength to hurl the offending vehicle straight into the netherworld…go look at the parking spaces in front of Half-Price Books at the Miracle Mile shopping center if you want to see panel two played out in real life - times five. It’s even worse when there are mini-vans involved.
Nothing bothers me more, though, than people parking a non-compact vehicle in a cleary marked “compact only” space.
I actually wanted to leave a note on someone’s Jeep who parked very well. This person pulled all the way up to the wall, pulled in straight, and was perfectly between the lines. Where I work the spaces are *tight* and no one ever parks within the lines, so this was pretty impressive and helpful to me as I parked next to them.
In defense of backward parkers (but not the yellow truck)…
If one arrives when there aren’t many vehicles around taking the time to back in can often save headaches later when leaving and the lot is full. A full, tight lot is a bit more difficult to navigate in reverse.
Why do some parking lots have signs placed at certain spaces that say “No Back In Parking?”
DrivingInAKilt-
I’ve seen the “no back in parking” signs in ramps where there is duct work that could be hit if a van is backed in.
It seems that many people in Minneapolis have no idea / awareness of parking meters. These fools park with their vehicle centered on the meter or the very end of the space. They have no idea about parking in the center of the space.
I drive an extended cab F-150, and I always, without fail, back into parking spots or drive through an open space so that I will be able to pull out easily. I use those shiny reflective things attached to the sides to guide me in to the spots and never have a problem getting between the lines. I also usually park in the further reaches of the lot just because I like the walk. Backing in to a spot for some reason is easier than backing out, easier to see being part of it. I prefer to just drive out of the spot, esp. in a busy lot.
At the Home Depot in Chaska last week I saw some teenager pull into a spot in his big truck and parked with the license plate on the front of his truck actually touching the front of the car in front of him. And of course he was also taking up a good portion of the spot next to him as he pulled in at somewhat of an angle. I have gone so far as to put “nice parking job, moron” notes on cars. But like Pete said, I really don’t think these people care. But whatever, it makes me feel better.
I never got too worked up about bad parking. I always figured if the car is not moving then the moron can’t hurt anyone.
The only time I ever left a note on a car was when I banged into it myself.
I leave notes from time to time. Usually because I don’t have time to hang around and wait for the offending person. Sometimes, they’re short and to the point - “Nice parking, moron.” Other times, I have more time to, um, elaborate. These little communiques probably do nothing more than vent a little steam for me, but they’re cheaper than therapy. Some may wonder why I obsess over such trivialities, and the truth is, five minutes after, I rarely give it a second thought. But cops (unfortunately) have more important things to worry about, leaving the little things to fester. I’m hoping a little peer pressure may have some affect.
