The Which Way Round to Park the Car Thread

[APOLLO]

I was once called out to a gas escape on an outside service pipe.

 

The lady of the house had reverse parked her brand spanking new Mercedes into the garage, and carried on into the kitchen !!. The car was an automatic. ('nuff said !!!). The interior wall between garage and kitchen had moved 6", as had the kitchen units, cooker, gas meter etc.

 

When I arrived the kitchen & wall was a right mess. The car was parked outside, I swear there was not one scratch or dent on it !!

 

Modern cars are better built than modern houses.

 

Brit15

[Enterprisingwestern]

Do you generally succeed?

 

Generally!

 

Mike.

[Hesperus]

I generally reverse into spaces but found reason not to at work.  I work at a van rental yard and we have a system of parking dirty vans nose in (like 80% of customers do) and clean vans nose out ready to leave.

 

It seems daft that we need to do this but with the recent dry weather it's been hard to tell if thiings are ready.

[AndrewC]

Always nose in. North American habits die hard. Then again I usually need access to the back when parked. Insurance companies have done research on the subject and vehicles that don't need to be reversed are more than 20 times more likely to be stolen than ones that are parked nose in.

[Graham Hughes]

The highway code (which is a actual document of law, relating to the use of public highways, despite the poor choice of name), does actually specify parking on the road as you reverse into parking spaces, as this allows better vision when departing. And it also states you must park in the same direction as the traffic, not facing. In fact, most things in the highway code are usually done as to minimise risk, like who`s right of way at a junction is usually the one of less risk.

I wonder what the Highway Code has to say about how to park in spaces arranged radially around the outside of roundabouts. If anyone knows the village of Mintlaw, it has a rather odd road layout with a roundabout with four roads joining it in the centre of the village (Oddly, for a roundabout, named "The Square") and numerous shops, a bus stop and parking spaces around the outside. Generally I park nose in there, (As do most other people as you can see on Google Street View.) though I am sure the Highway Code does not recommend reversing out onto a roundabout on an A road. The reason is that invariable when you drive around looking for somewhere to park there are other vehicles following around and stopping and reversing into a space in the opposite direction to the following traffic is not very easy. On the way out you can wait until there is a gap in the traffic and be out quick and at least facing the right way if not actually moving before anything else comes around.

[Jenny Emily]

I always reverse in to spaces, because I hate carparks and like to be able to get out easily. One thing you learn from truck driving is to reverse into spaces so you don't end up getting blocked in - much harder to reverse out in confined spaces and at least if you were able to reverse into a space you should have no trouble in getting back out.

[newbryford]

In my case it was I had to turn right on a roundabout, then keep going right (i.e. the next right after the roundabout too) but that was the message that hadn't come across clearly. If I had followed his instructions then I wouldn't have wound up waiting at the lights when an ambulance appeared from behind, lights and sirens going... Really not what you want on your test! Crossing the line on the red would've presumably been a fail, in the end I think I nudged the kerb trying to shuffle a little bit to the side. Anyway I passed.

 

I don't remember having any follow signs or maps bits to the test, is that a relatively recent addition? I passed before the written part was introduced.

 

It's no longer a written test - all done via touch screens. The "independent drive" section was introduced about 4 years ago. The video hazard perception test was added to the theory test about 9-10 years ago.

 

As for red lights and emergency vehicles, there is an official video.

 

Although this introduces a moral v legal debate. Do I cross the stop line, or do I hold up the ambulance/fire engine on it's way to save a life..........?

 

Cheers,

Mick

[PatB]

 

An interesting feature in the addendum to the Code is the "Braking distances" section: first introduced in about 1935 (I think, possibly earlier). The distances given today are the same as those originally quoted, sort of ignoring the vast improvements in brake and tyre technology in the intervening years.

 

Interestingly, in most (maybe all) Australian jurisdictions, the braking distances quoted in the various new driver handbooks (effectively the local equivalents of the Highway Code) are, when you do the mph-kph-feet-metres conversions, even longer than those in the HC. At least they were when I last looked a few years ago.

[newbryford]

That's a no-brainer, right? Emergency vehicles ALWAYS have priority if using too's and bloo's And IIRC the Highway Code allows other road users to commit minor traffic offences (like crossing the stop line) to make room for these emergency vehicles. I have yet to find a traffic officer that'll write you a ticket for making room for an emergency vehicle clearly on its way to an emergency (in fact, they'll be too busy getting to that incident themselves )

 

I have seen (heard) emergency vehicles turn off their sirens and wait within the queue - as the video intimates.

There was a case a few years ago of a driver being convicted of passing a red traffic light - caught by a camera. It was in the national press. His defence was that he was getting out of the way of an ambulance. The local ambulance service could only confirm that there was a vehicle on call within the area about the time of the "offence" but this was not taken into account for the driver crossng the line. He still had to pay the fine and receive the penalty points.

 

My own view is of the moral stance - as long as it is safe to do so. I've had the discussion with the local driving test centre manager and they informed me that they would take each situation upon it's own merits - i.e. if safe to do so, move forward and let the emergency vehicle through.

It is something that is not uncommon on test routes near my local driving test centre, as the local A&E hospital is on those routes.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[trisonic]

In the USA should an emergency vehicle hove into sight with lights flashing (Ambulances and Fire Dept vehicles usually only sound their horns actually in traffic or approaching Traffic Lights) then one must pull over where it is safe to do so and halt until they have passed.

 

Best, Pete.

[Ozexpatriate]

I was once called out to a gas escape on an outside service pipe.

 

The lady of the house had reverse parked her brand spanking new Mercedes into the garage, and carried on into the kitchen !!. The car was an automatic. ('nuff said !!!). The interior wall between garage and kitchen had moved 6", as had the kitchen units, cooker, gas meter etc.

Many years ago a colleague of mine had two teen-aged daughters. They drove their cars into the garage nose in. One Saturday morning when my colleague and his spouse were sleeping in their eldest daughter joined them in their bedroom - at the wheel of her car. It had a manual transmission and she started it in gear.

 

Later when the younger daughter started to drive she took out the post holding up the garage door.

[Ozexpatriate]

Always nose in. North American habits die hard. Then again I usually need access to the back when parked.

Yes, with 'normal' parking bays I always nose in, unless you can cheat by driving forward through a back-to-back parking bay. (Angle parking should only be nose in.)

 

Reversing in does seem to work better with narrow garage door openings and long narrow driveways but you have to be very precise.

 

It is a pet peeve of mine where, even given wider average spaces in North America, people seem to manage to overlap two, or even three spots. Luxury cars straddling two spots are usually deliberate, but overlapping three spots is just laziness.

[PatB]

Yes, with 'normal' parking bays I always nose in, unless you can cheat by driving forward through a back-to-back parking bay. (Angle parking should only be nose in.)

 

Reversing in does seem to work better with narrow garage door openings and long narrow driveways but you have to be very precise.

 

It is a pet peeve of mine where, even given wider average spaces in North America, people seem to manage to overlap two, or even three spots. Luxury cars straddling two spots are usually deliberate, but overlapping three spots is just laziness.

 

Only three? If you can't do six with one car you're not trying hard enough .

[AndrewC]

Only three? If you can't do six with one car you're not trying hard enough .

We know a website about that.

[cheesysmith]

If you want fun with parking, try doing it with a 40ft volvo bus. I have parked em up numerous times when empty to pop into shops and the like. The look you get from other road users is priceless. I once even took one through a MD drive through.

[BG John]

If you want fun with parking, try doing it with a 40ft volvo bus. I have parked em up numerous times when empty to pop into shops and the like. The look you get from other road users is priceless. I once even took one through a MD drive through.

It must stick out of the parking space a bit though! My medium wheelbase Fiat Ducato is about the longest thing that fits in most car parking spaces!

[kevinlms]

In some places in NSW Australia, they have angle parking, but not the usual 45 degree angle, but 135 degree which means you back in!

 

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/repealed_reg/arr210/s210.html Note 4.

 

Not very clear, but does show it.

 

This link in Byron Bay shows multiple variations on parking, with vehicles parked front or rear in and officially at different angles!  Page 8, for aerial plan - top that!!

 

 

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0SO82EES0JVTV4AL39LBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTByN3UwbTk1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwM5BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=1430436740/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fwww.byron.nsw.gov.au%2ffiles%2fpages%2fparking-in-byron-shire%2fByron_Bay_-_Angle_Parking_and_Other_Traffic_Demand_Management_Measures.pdf/RK=0/RS=mqnqP_I.QpBW2dNH5C3U9z9B5Dk-

[The Lurker]

I have seen (heard) emergency vehicles turn off their sirens and wait within the queue - as the video intimates.

There was a case a few years ago of a driver being convicted of passing a red traffic light - caught by a camera. It was in the national press. His defence was that he was getting out of the way of an ambulance. The local ambulance service could only confirm that there was a vehicle on call within the area about the time of the "offence" but this was not taken into account for the driver crossng the line. He still had to pay the fine and receive the penalty points.

 

My own view is of the moral stance - as long as it is safe to do so. I've had the discussion with the local driving test centre manager and they informed me that they would take each situation upon it's own merits - i.e. if safe to do so, move forward and let the emergency vehicle through.

It is something that is not uncommon on test routes near my local driving test centre, as the local A&E hospital is on those routes.

 

Cheers,

Mick

There was a case in the local rag (the wonderfully name News Shopper) recently of a lollipop man who held up a fire engine with lights and sirens going and ushered several groups of children across the road. Eventually he was manhandled out of the way by the firemen - which must have given the Mums a thrill!  The lollipop man was subsequently suspended

[The Lurker]

I usually park in nose first in a car park, not least because I usually want to load something in boot. Generally I reverse into a street space and parallel park because it's much easier to get approximately close.

[Black Sheep]

That's a no-brainer, right? Emergency vehicles ALWAYS have priority if using too's and bloo's And IIRC the Highway Code allows other road users to commit minor traffic offences (like crossing the stop line) to make room for these emergency vehicles. I have yet to find a traffic officer that'll write you a ticket for making room for an emergency vehicle clearly on its way to an emergency (in fact, they'll be too busy getting to that incident themselves )

A mate of mine moved forwards, first police car carried on, second ticketed him and then carried on, both on blues and twos

 

Personally I used to always reverse except at B&Q ( no connection, just a dissatisfied customer)

 

Now pushchairs are involved it varies

 

I hate the curved mirrors modern cars have, find it hard to judge space when manoeuvring

[PhilJ W]

There was a case in the local rag (the wonderfully name News Shopper) recently of a lollipop man who held up a fire engine with lights and sirens going and ushered several groups of children across the road. Eventually he was manhandled out of the way by the firemen - which must have given the Mums a thrill!  The lollipop man was subsequently suspended

Many years ago when driving to work I had to negotiate a set of traffic lights that controlled two roads not quite facing each other entering a road at right angles. The light sequence was main road (both ways) first side road then second side road. The two side roads were offset about the width of the roads to the right of each other as you exited them and the general flow of the traffic was to the right after leaving the side roads, i.e. across the end of the opposite road. There was a pedestrian crossing close to the left hand corner of the first side road where there was a crossing patrol. The lollipop lady always waited until the traffic was starting from the second side turning before venturing out, leaving a line of stationary traffic across the road junction blocking it entirely, by the time the kids had crossed the lights had changed resulting in traffic chaos. The junction was on three busy bus routes and London Transport frequently complained about the delays caused but it carried on until the crossing was replaced with a pelican crossing. 

[Adrian Wintle]

 

Reversing in does seem to work better with narrow garage door openings and long narrow driveways but you have to be very precise.

 

One place I lived in had a shared drive (one car width between the two houses) and then an offset garage behind the house. I drove into that garage forwards just once in the two years I lived there. It was almost impossible to get out of in reverse as you had to get the car turning before it left the garage. With the nose swing in reverse it made for a lot of back and forth to avoid hitting the walls/door frame of the garage and/or the porch on the rear of the house.

 

Adrian

[Reorte]

Reversing into the very tight garage I've got would be more manouevrable and would avoid having to drive on the grass a bit (for some daft reason the drive is at an angle). Unfortunately the garage is so tight that you need to be straight for the entire car's length so it doesn't really make any difference (and also needs the lawnmower to be dumped on top of some boxes at the back, and the bike on top of that... I've only ever tried putting the car in it two or three times).

[PatB]

In some places in NSW Australia, they have angle parking, but not the usual 45 degree angle, but 135 degree which means you back in!

 

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/repealed_reg/arr210/s210.html Note 4.

 

Not very clear, but does show it.

 

This link in Byron Bay shows multiple variations on parking, with vehicles parked front or rear in and officially at different angles!  Page 8, for aerial plan - top that!!

 

 

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0SO82EES0JVTV4AL39LBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTByN3UwbTk1BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwM5BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=1430436740/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fwww.byron.nsw.gov.au%2ffiles%2fpages%2fparking-in-byron-shire%2fByron_Bay_-_Angle_Parking_and_Other_Traffic_Demand_Management_Measures.pdf/RK=0/RS=mqnqP_I.QpBW2dNH5C3U9z9B5Dk-

 

Yeah, well, that's Byron Bay for you .

[tomparryharry]

Supermarket parking? What's that?

 

Our fellow brings the pate & champagne around to the servants door......

 

Harumph, Harumph, Don'tcha know......

 

Parking indeed!