Reverse angle parking

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Sometimes, there is 1-1/2 spaces or 2 full spaces, so one can easily drive forward and angle into the space.

Granted this is just me but even when I have a lot of space I still do it the same way of backing in. All it means to me is that I've got more room to get in the correct position by the curb.

 

[Imzadi]

I just don't see a system designed to rely on the graciousness of strangers to leave you space to back in to ever work.

Yes, it also relies on the intelligence of people to know you are trying to back up into a space. They stupidly wait for you to finally drive forward, (so they can continue to move forward,) forcing you to give up the space to the person behind THEM who is them free to claim the space.

Then there's the idiots, who DO reverse, only they don't back up far enough for you to actually maneuver into the space! It becomes a waiting game of waiting for them to figure it out, as you keep stopping, waiting for them to back up further, stopping, waiting for them to back up further, rinse & repeat. By that time, someone else has driven up and is behind them, not realizing TWO cars are trying to back up.

I don't think the people who design parking spaces like this actually park in them, themselves. Or when they do use them and see all the traffic jammed up, they blame it on people not knowing how it all works. If you have to post DIAGRAMS of how to do this, maybe it's not the best idea.

 

[NotUrsula]

I just don't see a system designed to rely on the graciousness of strangers to leave you space to back in to ever work.

It's been working (as parallel parking) in cities all over the world for a century or so now (and before, if you count wagon traffic!) It works because sooner or later, all of us will need to be able to park somewhere, too.

City drivers know to signal as soon as they start to look for a space, which clues in the driver behind to leave a bit of room, *IF* the driver behind is actually paying attention *AND* knows how to parallel park, which is becoming a big part of the problem. I parallel park all the time, and it's easy for me normally, but I'm constantly frustrated when trying to park near one of our larger hospitals, which draws in lots of folks from the suburbs. These drivers tend to ignore my signal and ride right up on my tail when I'm looking for a space, and then get all huffy when I find one and stop in order to pull into it. Instead of just waiting like a normal driver while I pull in, these clueless drivers then dodge traffic to swerve around me; with the result that times past counting I've narrowly missed clipping them with my left front bumper as I swing the back end of my car into the space.

Someone CHOOSING never to parallel park is one thing, but not KNOWING how to parallel park is a huge safety problem for drivers around that person.

Sometimes I want to get a sign for my back window; one of those streaming lighted signs that would point to the right and spell out I"M PARKING HERE! in flashing red letters. Sheesh.

 

[Kitty 34]

I'm still trying to figure out backing into a parallel parking spot.....this could possibly be easier for me.

 

[Imzadi]

*IF* the driver behind is actually paying attention *AND* knows how to parallel park, which is becoming a big part of the problem. I parallel park all the time, and it's easy for me normally, but I'm constantly frustrated when trying to park near one of our larger hospitals, which draws in lots of folks from the suburbs. These drivers tend to ignore my signal and ride right up on my tail when I'm looking for a space, and then get all huffy when I find one and stop in order to pull into it. Instead of just waiting like a normal driver while I pull in, these clueless drivers then dodge traffic to swerve around me; with the result that times past counting I've narrowly missed clipping them with my left front bumper as I swing the back end of my car into the space.

Yes, these are the idiot drivers I referred to in TWO of my posts.

 

[Imzadi]

I'm still trying to figure out backing into a parallel parking spot.....this could possibly be easier for me.

In parallel parking, you only have to watch out that you don't bump & sideswipe against the cars on one side. (Well, in front & behind too, but usually, if you hit one of their bumpers - at such a slow speed, any bumps don't show on the bumpers as people have those bumper guards.) But, with this reverse angle parking, you have to watch to make sure you don't hit the sides of cars on both sides. So yeah, this is sooo much easier.

 

[Hikergirl]

That would never work around here- way too many people on the roads, and everyone is in too much of a hurry to be courteous and wait for you to back up.

 

[Skippy918]

I think if I had a fancy car that had that overhead camera view, I could back in. I would need to practice without cars next to me. I can’t back in to a regular perpendicular spot unless there are no cars around me.

 

[DisneyOma]

If you can't parallel park, how'd you get a license? Don't they make you do that anymore?

If you can't parallel park, don't come to my town. that's all we have on the streets, and very few parking lots, and those lots will have you backing up at some point, either getting in or out of the spot. We also have a few one way streets where you have to parallel park on the left side of the street as well as the right. Backing into an angled spot is the easy way.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If you can't parallel park, how'd you get a license? Don't they make you do that anymore?

If you can't parallel park, don't come to my town. that's all we have on the streets, and very few parking lots, and those lots will have you backing up at some point, either getting in or out of the spot. We also have a few one way streets where you have to parallel park on the left side of the street as well as the right. Backing into an angled spot is the easy way.

How do you get a license? Um live in a state that doesn't require it?

 

[Imzadi]

If you can't parallel park, how'd you get a license? Don't they make you do that anymore?

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.

 

[Southernmiss]

Dd got her license in May. No parallel parking for the road test.

She drove about a block on a busy 4 lane highway, turned into a neighborhood, made a loop out to the traffic light and back on the highway for half a mile to the dmv.

 

[EveDallas]

I back into parking spaces as much as possible. It's not hard. And MUCH safer when pulling out when you can see exactly what's happening. My husband does it 99% of the time. I do it maybe 60%. We also worked hard with our kids on their backing skills. If you can't back into a parking space, you maybe shouldn't drive. It's no harder than backing OUT of the space. In Minnesota, they added a 90 degree back skill to the parking test. Fail that and you don't get a license.

I hate backing into spaces. It's hard for me. Somehow I've managed to stumble through the past decade without an accident that I caused, so I disagree that it has much to do with your driving skills

 

[momto2girls]

My daughter got her license a year ago. Parallel parking was not on the test.

 

[fla4fun]

If you can't parallel park, how'd you get a license? Don't they make you do that anymore?

If you can't parallel park, don't come to my town. that's all we have on the streets, and very few parking lots, and those lots will have you backing up at some point, either getting in or out of the spot. We also have a few one way streets where you have to parallel park on the left side of the street as well as the right. Backing into an angled spot is the easy way.

I got my license in Ohio, and we did not have to parallel park. They had a thing called “maneuverability “ where you drove forward through some cones and then backed through the cones and if you didn’t hit any you passed. I have never parallel parked in my life, but could probably figure it out. Perhaps this is why so many car manufacturers are putting parking assist in their cars.

My concern is one that has been raised by many others. Here in Florida it’s every driver for themselves, and 99.9% of them would just sit on your tail and force you to go forward. There wouldn’t be any waiting it out because if they had to wait long enough they would get out of their car and go full on road rage at you (they do that to people who take too long at toll booths or traffic lights now). I have enough drivers up my tailpipe on my commute without adding this kind of parking to the mix.

If people were courteous and paid attention, I do think it has its benefits.

 

[PollyannaMom]

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.

This exactly. I did technically parallel park for my test (though, IIRC, it was pouring rain, and hardly anyone was out, so I only had to park behind another car, not between two) - but that was almost 30 years ago, and I hardly ever do it now. In fact, I realized when I was watching DS practice for his test recently, that I do it really inefficiently. - I think he's better at it right now than I am.

 

[amberpi]

I'd just be parking elsewhere. I'm a terrible driver and a worse parker. I know this. I wouldn't try anything fancy like that. Thank god for a husband who's never even had a traffic or parking citation and for Uber/Lyft.

 

[Franrose]

The city I've lived in for the past 10 years does this - you do get used to it (I had never seen it before moving here). Have had cars with and without backing cameras and it's not too big a deal. You learn not to follow the car in front too closely, in case they are looking for a park and need to reverse into it. There has been one accident I can think of where someone hit the accelerator instead of the brake, mounted the sidewalk and trapped a pedestrian between their car and a shopfront... but I guess that could happen with forward-in parking too. The only time I don't like it particularly is when a cafe has tables out on the sidewalk and backing in cars are pointing their exhaust fumes directly at them.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

If you can't parallel park, how'd you get a license? Don't they make you do that anymore?
.

In our state they either give you a three point turn or parallel park, not both. And because it's easier to find a spot to do a three point turn for a driving test, guess which one most people get at most testing centers. It was the same in the state I grew up in.

 

[DisneyOma]

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?