Reverse angle parking

[CarolAnn856]

It sounds like we'll be losing our downtown shopping areas across the country and people will just go to strip malls because they can't parallel park? Why do people find it so hard to park a car?

We're already losing small shops to online and big box retailers. I'm not sure parking issues will really have that large of an impact.

Personally, I like the idea, but I'm someone who is comfortable backing into parking spaces anyway.

 

[MillauFr]

It sounds like we'll be losing our downtown shopping areas across the country and people will just go to strip malls because they can't parallel park? Why do people find it so hard to park a car?

Here in Seattle the traffic and parking downtown are horrible. Yet the downtown shopping areas are booming. It was so crowded last Sunday when I went shopping there you could barely move. I felt like I was at Disneyland on Main St. when the fireworks were over. The lack of parking hasn't seemed to impact the health of the retail sector. It is the suburban malls with acres of free parking that are struggling. A mall on the north side of the city is trying to stop its decline by removing the rest of the surface parking lots and building high rise hotels, condos, and apartments.

 

[GreatLakes]

This makes total sense and is in no way difficult. If you can't back into a parking space I don't trust your ability to maneuver a 2 ton weapon down the roads.

 

[tvguy]

This makes total sense and is in no way difficult. If you can't back into a parking space I don't trust you ability to maneuver a 2 ton weapon down the roads.

The reality:
According to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA), there are at least 500,000 backing accidents of some type every year in the U.S. Of those half-million accidents, 15,000 include some type of injury and approximately 210 deaths – mostly children aged five and under (31% of all fatalities) and elderly people aged 70 and over (26%).1 Up to two children every week are killed in the U.S. by back over incidents.2 Sadly, most of these events (70%) occur with a parent or family member behind the wheel.2 Besides children and elderly people, some back over accidents also involve pets.

Backing is more dangerous than you may think.

 

[Micca]

Just drop me off.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The reality:
According to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA), there are at least 500,000 backing accidents of some type every year in the U.S. Of those half-million accidents, 15,000 include some type of injury and approximately 210 deaths – mostly children aged five and under (31% of all fatalities) and elderly people aged 70 and over (26%).1 Up to two children every week are killed in the U.S. by back over incidents.2 Sadly, most of these events (70%) occur with a parent or family member behind the wheel.2 Besides children and elderly people, some back over accidents also involve pets.

Backing is more dangerous than you may think.

Does not disprove either the quoted poster's statement nor the original post. Re the bolded, virtually no likelihood that these specific occurrences took place in a reverse-angle parking location.

From the same article that provided the quoted statistics: "Attorneys experienced in these cases note that it is easy to prevent backing accidents that cause injuries, death and property damage, since they are most often caused by poor observation. A driver should know their vehicle’s blind spots and the distance that they cover to back up safety and prevent many if not all of these accidents." and "Not all car accidents happen at a high speed on the open road. Backing accidents typically occur at very low speeds, often in a person’s driveway."

 

[tvguy]

Does not disprove either the quoted poster's statement nor the original post. Re the bolded, virtually no likelihood that these specific occurrences took place in a reverse-angle parking location.

From the same article that provided the quoted statistics: "Attorneys experienced in these cases note that it is easy to prevent backing accidents that cause injuries, death and property damage, since they are most often caused by poor observation. A driver should know their vehicle’s blind spots and the distance that they cover to back up safety and prevent many if not all of these accidents." and "Not all car accidents happen at a high speed on the open road. Backing accidents typically occur at very low speeds, often in a person’s driveway."

Correct. Speaking strictly of backing up. VERY dangerous. The rest is my opinion regarding the reverse angle parking. Just seems like parallel parking, like is shown on the opposite side of the street, would be much safer.

 

[EveDallas]

This makes total sense and is in no way difficult. If you can't back into a parking space I don't trust you ability to maneuver a 2 ton weapon down the roads.

Luckily you aren't in charge of who gets to drive.

 

[tvguy]

Doesn't appear in OP's city that they have bike lanes. Here in the City of Sacramento they are experimenting with swapping parking with the bike lane. So you have the sidewalk, then the bike lane, then the parking lane, then the traffic lane. They have had problems with bike versus car collisions in the area, the majority of which were the fault of the bike riders. So this is basically to protect bike riders from themselves. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article177074531.html

 

[dotfurio]

Doesn't appear in OP's city that they have bike lanes.

We do, but where they installed the reverse parking spaces is more of a side street downtown. In fact, besides lunchtime for a couple nearby cafes, it’s not a particularly busy part of downtown. I’m guessing they are testing them here before placing them in some busier areas.

 

[Klayfish]

Sorry, if you can't back a vehicle into a parking spot, you have no business behind the wheel...especially of an 18' long 2+ ton SUV. I'm not talking about having an accident, but just lack the general skillset to back a vehicle into a parking space.

 

[Skellingtonj]

People generally learn it for the test. Then promptly forget about it as they rarely use it because they mostly park in parking lots and not on the streets.

I’ve parallel parked maybe 3 times my whole life. I just don’t like doing it. But we have plenty of parking lots so it’s not an issue

 

[EveDallas]

Sorry, if you can't back a vehicle into a parking spot, you have no business behind the wheel...especially of an 18' long 2+ ton SUV. I'm not talking about having an accident, but just lack the general skillset to back a vehicle into a parking space.

I can back in. I just hate doing it because it makes me nervous. I have an excellent driving record. I don't understand why people think not backing into a space makes you a bad driver.

 

[EveDallas]

I'm trying to imagine this working around here. Where I live, people tend to ride right on your bumper while you're in a lot looking for a space. I can't see someone being polite enough to hang back and wait while you backed into a space, and if they did hold up the other cars long enough for it to happen, it just might cause road rage. Especially in the summer when people are dealing with temps over 100 degrees on the regular. Tempers get short.

 

[DisneylandDarling]

I suppose I'm a horrible, terrible, no-good driver too since I can't figure out angled parking lots (all in jest, btw). I can back into a parking spot, so maybe I'm all good though??

But seriously, I absolutely hate angled parking lots. I seem to have a hard time figuring out which lane goes which way, so prefer to avoid all together. These, along with ped crossings in front of stores as I mentioned before, give me anxiety. Both are too complicated for my puny brain!! haha

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Sorry, if you can't back a vehicle into a parking spot, you have no business behind the wheel...especially of an 18' long 2+ ton SUV. I'm not talking about having an accident, but just lack the general skillset to back a vehicle into a parking space.

Two can play at that game. Sorry, If you can't back a vehicle out of a parking spot, you have no business behind the wheel.. especially of an 18 ' long 2+ton SUV. I'm not talking about having an accident but just lack the general skillset to back a vehicle out of a parking space.

 

[mom2rtk]

This makes total sense and is in no way difficult. If you can't back into a parking space I don't trust your ability to maneuver a 2 ton weapon down the roads.

Wanting to and being able to are 2 different things. I can parallel park without hesitation. I'm sure I could do this as well. I would still rather pull forward into a spot.

 

[Klayfish]

Wanting to and being able to are 2 different things.

Exactly. That's my entire point.

Two can play at that game. Sorry, If you can't back a vehicle out of a parking spot, you have no business behind the wheel.. especially of an 18 ' long 2+ton SUV. I'm not talking about having an accident but just lack the general skillset to back a vehicle out of a parking space.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sorry, If you can't back a vehicle out of a parking spot, you have no business behind the wheel

More that, if you can't back a vehicle out of a parking spot, you have no business pulling into a parking spot hood first to begin with.

 

[Skellingtonj]

I can back in. I just hate doing it because it makes me nervous. I have an excellent driving record. I don't understand why people think not backing into a space makes you a bad driver.

It doesn’t. I have no idea where that idea even came from.