wrt cars getting wider, the VW UP! is wider than a mk1 Golf. And the Golf was considered one of the safest cars on the road in its day.
Nobody is forcing Richard to park his Q5 in a particular space. If I found I couldn't fit my car in a particular space without straddling the lines, I'd park it in one that I could fit in.
Keep the bays the same size.
Heavy fines for those who park across two bays.
If you buy a stupid car, park it somewhere else and walk to the shop.
Simple.
scotroutes - MemberHonda Jazz is 5 star, so it's not like everything has to be the size of a medium tank.
mikewsmith - MemberEuro Ncap
Possible to get a supermini with 5* so anything is possible...
Euro NCAP Safety ratings are not comparable between different classes, ie a 5* supermini will not be anywhere near as safe as a 5* large saloon.
Our local supermarket has spaces marked out like this:
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(this isn't the same car park, but it is the same chain).
Makes parking much more civilised with the set gap between spaces.
If only they hadn't made a hash of tight roads and multiple zebra crossings next to the internal juntions then it would be a lot safer to move around both in car and on foot without fearing for your life because people can't process normal road manners while looking for a parking space!
Doesn't help that it's an odd-shaped car park in a small market town sized supermarket.
Pocpoc, my local Sainsburys (also with an odd shaped carpark in a small market town) has the same arrangement, the extra width afforded by the wider lines makes things significantly easier when getting in and out of the car (particularly as we're a rural area with a fair number of muddy farm 4x4 vehicles using the carparks).
I drive a standard car (albeit a fairly long one) and I find that leaving a liberal coating of mud over the outside of my vehicle tends to dissuade most people from trying to squeeze past on foot 😉
