Practical answer: because they haven’t installed concrete wheel stops on the ground in that parking lot. If that’s a used walkway, they should.
I know, people are assholes, etc. I’m just mentioning a solution that is actually available, where unassholing everyone isn’t.
I don't know, man, I'm still routing for having a bulldozer drive over random walkways throughout the day.
Bad at parking or got a car that just won't fit into parking lots? → Enjoy a newly shortened car.
I’m just mentioning a solution that is actually available, where unassholing everyone isn’t.
Beautifully put. So often there are simple solutions to these problems.
I don't think, in this case, it's due to people being assholes. More like, people are dumb and completely oblivious to their surroundings.
Agreed. And if politely pointed out, I'd safely argue that most would double-down and tell you to fuck off
While we can't unasshole everyone we can start ticketing ppl who park outside the lines. In most cities there's traffic wardens anyways, so that should be cheaper than installing bumpers on every parking spot.
Yes, though the other reason to have bumpers is physical safety. This is a walkway. If someone is just a little bit negligent, they could run over someone. Ticketing them doesn’t help at that point. And the cost of that life is more than a million bumpers. So again, as much as I’d like to punish bad parkers too, as emotionally satisfying as that would be for me, the practical solution that will just work is to add the bumpers.
I have never seen these things in my life. Apparently they are not a thing where I live. But it's sad that we need something like that so that idiots learn to park.
Ive started to see these more and more, and imo they are a good thing! They really prevent this b/s from happening!
Though sometimes i feel they are placed a bit much too the front for my hatchback, but i understand this is so family cars dont go too far either
I have poor spatial awareness and learning to drive later in life - plus still getting to know my car. With a long, low nose, these bumpers are so handy, particularly the lower ones and/or made of rubber, so I don't scrape my car's poor snout!
After a while you just get used to the fact that your license plate is going to be bent at the very bottom if it doesn't have a plastic holder behind it.
I’m just mentioning a solution that is actually available, where unassholing everyone isn’t.
Not with that attitude. Just need enough superglue and some determination...
Really they should just have some concrete parking blocks in that lot. Not sure if I can really blame the drivers here… it’s just a bad setup.
The design failure is only failing to anticipate that people are going to be assholes. The two are not mutually exclusive.
The design failure is not following parking lot design best practices and installing parking stoppers or bollards on spaces that are directly next a walkway. People are going to pull forward to the only point of reference they have which, because there are no lines or stoppers, is the sidewalk curb.
The teal car clearly all the way up on the sidewalk is definitely an asshole though.
They have the reference of spatial awareness and not just drive until you bump into something as well. That's how you end up with fucked up body panels.
Does it really make someone an "asshole" for just pulling up until their tire hits something? Feel like this is something 95% of people would do without realizing it until they got out and saw the sidewalk.
Like do you guys really think these people are intentionally blocking the path or something?
Does it really make someone an "asshole" for just pulling up until their tire hits something?
Yes, it absolutely does.
intentionally
Doesn't matter if it's intentional or not, it's still causing a problem...
The point is that they don't care.
Personally, I try and have a modicum of spatial awareness that allows me to know my surroundings enough that I don't have to collide with something to know I've gone far enough.
Idk about you, but I don't instinctively know how much room is left behind my car when I pull into a parking space
That’s why I get out of my car, look if I’m getting in someone’s way, and adjust as needed.
Takes no more than a minute to be civil and nice to other people, especially to those with special needs.
I don't instinctively know, but I do put the barest amount of thought into it as I know the approximate length of my car and I have the super basic ability of depth perception. So I can do a pretty damn good job of judging just how deep my car is in a space.
And If I'm off enough that it proves to be a nuisance to those who might use the walking space in front of it? I act like a decent fucking human being and move my car. Cause I'm not a complete narcissistic prick.
I get that basically locked in within a couple weeks of driving the same car. Do you not know approximately how long your car is while in the driver's seat? Does it not get better over time??
No one is "being an asshole" they are just trying to "park all the way in". A block is specifically there to communicate AND enforce that
A normally zoned, and properly provisioned parking spot has a stop, and would never be designed where cars would block pedestrian access.
It is normal to pull in and expect a stop point.
Depending on size or design of car you may be accustomed to not hitting the stop block (low car, small car, etc), but you would, as the driver, assume you are not inappropriately "too in" if you HAVEN'T touched the (in this case inexistent) stop block.
All of these drivers subconsciously believe they are comfortably in the spot, without sticking out front or back. Because of this none of them have any suspicion they need to look to double check.
One of the core principles of car and pedestrian cohabitation is to use barriers and information to keep cars and pedestrians separated, without relying on the "common sense" of the driver.
Drivers do not have "common sense" of a heavy machine, and must be separated from impinging on pedestrians.
It's always some other's fault, isn't it? No, it's not. They're the drivers.
They drive a heavy machine, like you said, so they should act like it. Be responsible. Always double check. Be respectful and prudent.
Stop blocks are good things, sure, but their existence is not an excuse to park recklessly.
I think this stop is something very American. In Europe it's very rare to see a stop for the cars. You just learn to drive correctly. American drivers are just worse at driving than European ones, because your streets and parking spaces and literally anything else car related is just huge. And same with parking spaces. You are used to having a stop, so you only learn how to park correctly if there is a stop.
There are some parkings with stop blocks in Europe, but they're more of an exception rather than a norm. What I think is a better solution, is to have a wider sidewalk with some trees, shrubs, lamp posts, etc. right next to the curb, that act as a natural limit for how far people will park their car.
Much as the dutch have mastered the design of new roads to separate them from pedestrian and cycling paths, stop blocks are simply a good feature.
Many buildings in Europe aren't even handicapped accessible (such as old buildings, cramped buildings) and that doesn't mean European disabled folks are "better" wheelchair operators, it just means antiquated spaces aren't always designed with modern best practices.
Stop blocks keep people safe, and ensure access for those like the disabled.
It's not that Europeans are "better drivers" ,(evidence: this picture), it's that it isn't a law there, and isn't part of the design of the spaces these parking spots are in.
I think the other issue is that Europeans have much better training/education whereas ijs the US they basically hand you a license and that's it.
Try to walk on this this kind of sidewalk with a stroller and a walking child and you'll understand why it is serious. Or try to pass it in a wheelchair.
Then complain to the property owner instead of complaining about drivers on the internet. The drivers are doing nothing wrong here.
In the front, yes - but knowing how much your rear might be sticking out is another story. That's tough to judge with rear-view and side-view mirrors only.
Maybe it's different elsewhere but at least in the Midwest US we have a range of different length parking spots, from very short to long, so it's habit to pull as far forward as possible to ensure you aren't sticking out into the aisle.
The courteous folks hop back in and reposition if they're parked funky, but those types can be far and between.
Sometimes I'm badly parked, and I understand it only when I leave my car. It's normal, you're right.
But you know what's not normal? To stay badly parked. It doesn't cost much time to start the car again to move it backward a little…
How do you not hit stuff when reversing? I agree that it's tough to judge with mirrors only but it's definitely possible if you've been driving for more than two weeks.
Drivers simply don't give a shit, everything else is just excuses.
If you park on the lawn there will still be some idiot who finds a way to hit your car.
That is no excuse to park like an asshole.
I've been on the middle of a parking lot, in a smaller car then both my neighbors, with my bumper (on front and back) less far out than my neighbors and still got a nice $500 bumper-rub.
Being remotely close to the edge is not in your personal self interest.
Sounds like it doesn't matter where you park, someone is just as likely to be an asshole and hit your car. So why not take the high road and not park like an asshole?
Parking near other cars is not in your best interest if you want to avoid damage. If someone has to block walkways to keep their car safe they are in the wrong spot. There is no excuse.
When visiting Hollywood, I have learned that the ideal parking spot is in a tree, which is just about the only place where other cars can't reach you.
Maybe, but depending on where you live, parking like this will get your car scratched up and headlights broken. which is the right thing to do
That's clearly a residential area if someone would hit their cars it would happen either way.. you're supposed to drive slowly there.
Probably because people are bad at parking and it’s easy to pull forward till you feel your tires bump against the curb. Only problem is that with increasing safety standards usually resulting in longer hoods and bigger engine compartments for crumple zones, you get this.
It’s not bad parking, lots of places use parking stops and you’re told/taught to pull up to them or the curb to park.
Where I am, if you don’t have parking stops, your curb must be 3m wide, to account for hood overhang and leaving the required space for handi egress.
That's just because driver's ed in the US if fucking horrible, and teaches the bare minimum to not kill other people while behind the wheel of a ton and a half of steel and aluminum. It doesn't teach you to be a good driver, just not completely incompetent.
Most people still forget most of the shit they learn there, though.
Funny, not from the US.
It’s good design regardless of the “competence” of the drivers. Oh, we also have snow, so sometimes you can’t see the curb or anything under the snow, so you stop when you hit the parking stop.
Shocking concept that conditions are different elsewhere than you….
So you have to come up with excuses and special circumstances for why it's not bad driving...
Sure, under certain conditions, when the waxing moon is at it's apex and Apollo is in concordance with the orange juice futures, it's totally acceptable to be a bad driver.
Otherwise, use some fucking common sense and don't park like an asshole.
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Bad driving? That has nothing to do with bad driving smartass ... Hitting the curb with the wheel is normal when parking
I’m giving you a reason why something is better than what you urge are to, but clearly you’ve got your head so far up your ass you can’t understand this.
You sure you’re not the American…? Lmfao.
This is why parking spaces tend to have those horizontal blocks. It’s to stop dumbass drivers like those depicted in the picture from blocking the sidewalk.
Unfortunately, with the rise in insecurity compensators (“sports” utility vehicles and light duty trucks). Those measures are quickly defeated.
I live in the southern states of America and the amount of dOdGe RaM 1500 hD/f150s and “luxury” SUVs just blatantly blocking the sidewalks in urban settings (downtown) is too fucking high. If you are visually impaired expect to run into many of these idiot’s cars/trucks.
Fuck cars.
I'm sorry to say that I'm often one of those dumbass drivers (though I drive a little Civic). I need to do a better job of not pulling so far. Pedestrians and bicyclists deserve a sidewalk free of obstacles, and It's not good for the car either.
Those are called a “tire stop” in english (american). Many US cities require them to avoid this very problem…
Most people aren't doing terribly here really. It's not ideal but it's not horrific, until you get to the light blue/turquoise SUV 3 or 4 cars down. That fucker has clearly mounted the kerb and without the car there this picture looks pretty normal.
Also I don't think these pictures are of the same line of cars, should be able to see the roof box on both pictures but you can't.
Yeah. Not ideal but not horrific, until that turquoise SUV which blocks a full paving slab more than the others.
Yeah not ideal as I said, the picture just looks a lot worse because of one douchbag who has fully mounted the kerb. Most people here have parked badly, one person has parked awfully. Without the one person this picture looks very different.
As a small kid i once rode my kickscooter in a similar parked car, cause to be honest I wasn't looking and also wasn't expecting a car to pretrude like one meter into the sidewalk. While I was definitly careless (and also like 5) you should expect accidents happening when you leave stuff in places they don't belong.
And another 30% would have bike racks that are really just there to discourage tailgaters
It's often because people line up their car according to the car next to them. If one person does a lousy job and the next person copies them it begins to spread like a virus.
That's good there. I think that's my mistake when I park. I align with the neighboring car's sideview mirrors.
Yeah this is probably it. Would explain why people with small cars always pull in waaaaaay to the front. Everytime I think I see a space I'm bamboozled by small cars.
A good rule of thumb is to look just below the side mirrors. The average height person seated correctly will see the stop line appear just below the side mirrors when the front bumper is at the line.
Easy way to know with yourself in your own car is to park right at the line, then sit in the drivers seat and compare where the line is in relation to the mirrors when seated normally.
As a wheelchair user I absolutely hate when people do this! I ended up forced to go around the back of the car which is way less safe.
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Lots of people are bad at parking. It can be a little difficult to judge distance so people go until they bump something. I think having cameras around the vehicle would help, if people use them, that is.
Last time I used my backup camera, I misjudged the distance and hit someone's car. Never again.
Cameras should be used in conjunction with your mirrors, not exclusively. It makes more sense to me to learn to use safety features rather than ignore them.
Newer backup cameras have lines to warn you of the distance, but you still have to be careful just like with mirrors.
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And beepers, and distance measurements, and a thing that lights up and says 'STOP'.
Well, few have all 3 but in general you'll get 1 or 2.
It's a lot easier to park than it was 10 years ago, but you wouldn't know it seeing pictures like this .
I know what you meant, but now I am imagining a giant yellow dildo in each space to stop the car.
My whole neighborhood looks like this and I fucking hate it. Sometimes I fantasize about having a giant Flex and cut every car where the sidewalk begins
Anyone else questioning whether there are the same location? Might be, and I know people park like that, it’s just… weird angle and easy to throw together as rage bait.
I get that this is obnoxious, but I would probably make the same mistake. It's just a habit to pull my car up to the "front" of a parking spot. Most curb parking that I'm familiar with includes spacing for car overhang that is apart from the sidewalk or parking blocks, so this seems like understandably thoughtless parking, but it's also really poor parking/sidewalk design.
It's much easier to pull fully into a spot then it is to try to guess how far back from the front to park to leave enough space for the sidewalk but also not have your ass hanging out in the way of through traffic. The simple solution here is to put down parking blocks a few feet away from the sidewalk, and I have no idea why they haven't done that. The cobblestone parking area even extends directly to the sidewalk, which is also where (and probably why) the most egregious parking is occurring. This is just really poor parking-location design all around.
But couldn't drivers just, you know, moved back out a little if they realized they overshot it? Doesn't take them that long to get down to check, and get back in to move the car a bit.
A distraction for sure, doesn't excuse for the inconvenience of course, but if you ask why is then is because:
- People are buying increasingly stupid ass huge cars
- The ability of the average driver to actually drive well is decreasing as much more automation/aiding systems are injected into the driving experience
- It follows that then people will often graze the cars parked just aside theirs, when manoeuvring into or out from a parking slot, especially on the corners of the bumpers
- Any owner will then try to avoid this by moving his car outside of the possible trajectory of the driver who parked/will park the car just aside theirs and who most likely can't park a car, while yet choosing to buy a stupid huge ass car, and they do this by moving the farthest away from the rear parking line.
Of course they could have bought a small car instead and avoid invading the walkway, a small car surely also would have paired well with the smallness of their brains and/or appendages, but the lack of taste is since long time well past endemicity levels.
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so the proper response is to start scratching the front of a few cars to incentive them to pull back a bit?
Most of our parking spaces have terrible indicators for whether or not you're actually close enough without having your rear-end hang out of the lines. So people tend to park with their wheels nudging the concrete just to make sure.
Very much so. Around here, people will drive out of a lot and onto a busy stroad without looking, thinking they have right-of-way. Almost got in a crash not to long ago because of that exact situation.
Because some idiots don't feel like they're parked until the front mud flap is scraping and eventually ripped off.