[Closed] Taking two spaces when parking !

I generally park the van right next to them.

Heh, I've done that in the past, (parking right beside and very close) in my old van which I wasn't too bothered if it got scratched. Then the car left before me and I looked like the arse blocking two spaces!

Obviously I was being a bit of an arse, just in a different way. 😁

Depends if the carpark is empty of not, doesn't it.

Were we to expand the pic, would it be very busy, or very quiet.

I think I'll hazard a guess from what we can see to say this is a misleading picture, posted(not by the OP) but to illicit hate towards the owner.

We can tell its empty because the picture was taken in at least two empty spaces in front, and looking at the car its sitting in front of another 2 empty spaces, with a further empty space to its right.

Given that a lot of people can't park very well and are lazy enough to try and park as close to the entrance of the supermarket as possible, sometimes the opposite approach is valid.

I don't mind walking the length of the carpark so if I park right out of the way there's less chance I'm going to get a mumbus next to me and have their kids smash their doors into my car. I don't take up two spaces, but if once side is right up to the line, then it discourages others from parking next to me.

If it's somewhere that is going to fill up, then I don't park like that. The odd time I visit a trail centre I consider the gaps between cars quite selfish. With a bit more care and consideration, you could probably fit 20% more cars in.

In answer to the OP, where is it and what are the chances of those spaces filling up and their behaviour inconveniencing someone else?

There was a guy at work who bought a Range Rover of which he was inordinately proud. He always parked like that to reduce the chances of anyone scratching his pride and joy.

If it is a paying car park then you can get a fined if you only have one ticket as you are using two spaces.

It's one way to encourage cycling - reduce the availability of free parking. I approve and I shall do this myself henceforth.

I don't have an issue with people doing this as long as they pay twice.

It would be a bit cheeky to do in a free car park though.

Plagued by twospacers here. Always so careful to leave half a vehicle between them and the end of the available parking. Bonus points for getting half a vehicles worth of space in front as well.

Pff amateurs.

My record was 7 spaces (across) when towing a caravan, was never ballsy enough to go for the 14.

Round here double spacing seems to be justified since people invariably get their cars battered by other drivers. The vast majority park forwards, coincidence? Anyway, the car parks round here are always rammed so they are all twunts, just for differing reasons.

I'd sooner park at the back of the car park if I'm in a car in bothered about people damaging.

Years ago when we were visiting the Trafford Centre a big ol' Lexus SUV had parked over two bays. Luckily my shit box 106 could just squeeze in the part of bay that was left by the driver's door. Literally an inch gap between our cars. Very satisfying when I came back and he (I assume as the plate had TOM on it) had left, meaning he had to use an alternative to his driver's door to get in.

Well, at least they've reversed in or pulled through.

I don't mind 2 spacers , there could be any number of reasons, from wheelchair to limited mobility, who knows? I find I tend to park as far away as I can though.

I am very precious about my car and I never do that as it invites someone’s anger so you’re probably more likely to be keyed.
I’ll always park at the other end of the car park in a clear area and never had an issue. In fact it’s surprising how often it’s quicker to do that than try and find a space near the store, I’ve often parked up and walked past someone just getting into a spot or getting out of their car who was driving in before me when I came into the premises.

I always have a much bigger issue with drivers who park in adult/baby or disabled parking spaces (and that don’t have kids of a blue badge)

Even more annoyinger is when the car park is completely empty, you park miles away from the shops to dissuade the idle door clatterers from parking near you and you come out to a still empty car park with one parked right beside yours... Special bullets for the selfish shits that smash my stuff.

It is a consequence of people seeing cars as status symbols rather than just as transportation.

I like parking next to those who park in the furthest corners of the car park just to piss them off

The odd time I visit a trail centre I consider the gaps between cars quite selfish. With a bit more care and consideration, you could probably fit 20% more cars in.

That's what I refer to as National Trust parking, at one site near me they've actually resorted to battens separating spaces to try to get people to park more considerately!
See also the arseholes at busy NT coastal car parks parking their campers, extending awnings and setting up a seating area, thus occupying about 3 spaces. Most prevalent during the first easing of lockdown in 2020.

@houns It works. Mainly due to 'their' inability to open a door without it bouncing off the next car.

@msp Not really. I look after my stuff regardless and don't appreciate people who don't care messing it up. They (you?) can do what you like with your own stuff, just leave mine alone please.

There's a twitter for this https://twitter.com/YPLAC

Round here if there's a car parked like that it's usually a bit of a chavmobile. Yeah it's someone's pride and joy but to everyone else it's a shitbox Corsa with a big exhaust.

@squirrelking - I think I saw you in a supermarket car park in France. I didn't know you were Swiss

Even more annoyinger is when the car park is completely empty, you park miles away from the shops to dissuade the idle door clatterers from parking near you and you come out to a still empty car park with one parked right beside yours…

Those are the people using your car as target practice to line up against because they can't use the mirrors to see the lines Chances are they are even worse than those you were trying to avoid.

Hope car park the other week we saw a guy pull up in his electric car, park in the charging space, get out with his dog and just walk off without plugging it in.
It was as if the charge point was a reserved space for him.

Isn't that theartistformerlyknownsasstr elshamino.

....lazy bugger could have reverse parked it

Isn't this mostly done by people who've bought cars too big for them to park (despite having every parking aid under the sun)? The same ones who insist on SUVs for small country lanes but then refuse to drive them even slightly into the verge.

They'd be off to the gulag if I was in charge...

Isn’t this mostly done by people who’ve bought cars too big for them to park

I hate to say it because it sounds like I'm defending inconsiderate parking but cars have got steadily bigger, parking spaces don't seem to have kept pace. Width aside, a 5 Series overhangs the spaces at my local Tesco by about half a metre and they're not especially big cars.

hate to say it because it sounds like I’m defending inconsiderate parking but cars have got steadily bigger, parking spaces don’t seem to have kept pace

I'm not sure the logical conclusion there is that parking spaces need to get bigger, though I'm sure many would think so...

(Told this before but seems relevant)

A former colleague came back off her lunch break furious that she’d been given a parking ticket, as she hadn’t been parked for long enough to warrant one.

We said to her that if she genuinely believed she was in the right, she should email and ask for proof of the violation.

Shitty ‘how dare you’ email sent (against advice to be polite about it.

I bet the company couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw that email, nor be more smug when they responded. You’ve heard the term ‘banged to rights’? This is the definition of it.

https://flic.kr/p/2mUu1sW

‘Pay the fine. Right. Now.’ Was the advice given…

Our local Tesco changed its car park during the first lockdown and added another row of disabled spaces and parent and child. Lots of people complained as its a small car park for the size of the store so they added spaces by reducing the size of the regular spaces. Our Golf just fits in a space now and my C class kind of fits if you don't need to get out of it. They now get lots of complaints about dings in car doors.

In a country with limited space and where land is expensive you can't win. As people we are bigger, our cars are bigger, parking spaces are the same size or smaller. If you have a 'pride and joy' be it a Bentley or Corsa with a big exhaust and want to keep it parking dent free you don't really have a choice other than go shopping at mid night when its quiet, straddle 2 spaces or use click and collect (which has taken 8 parking spaces) and don't go in.

Maybe we should treat our cars like the French? Anyone watch the Grand Tour Christmas special?

I came out the supermarket once to find a note on my car admitting to having bumped it while reversing. While I was looking for the damage the person who left the note (who had waited for me) came and apologised.

The car was covered in scratches and dings but that's because it was my old shitheap. They couldn't have picked a better car to bump. It was a really nice gesture for them to stay and fess up to it tho.

I genuinely don't really want a new car because I would be worried about it getting scratched and damaged. Much more relaxing to have an old one.

Depends if the carpark is empty of not, doesn’t it.

Not really, no.

Selfish twunt either way.

I’m not saying white cars are driven by twunts, but…..

a 5 Series overhangs the spaces at my local Tesco by about half a metre and they’re not especially big cars.

They overhang even more when they've been reversed parked but leaving space to open the boot. If you've got a few of them, it forces drivers to slalom down the lane and causes hundreds of accidents because most people aren't skilled enough to manage all those changes of direction.

it forces drivers to slalom down the lane and causes hundreds of accidents

Crikey!

I'm staying well clear of the supermarkets you go to!

I genuinely don’t really want a new car because I would be worried about it getting scratched and damaged. Much more relaxing to have an old one.

I’ve just bought a 2007 Fiat Panda because I can’t get to the golf course on my motorbike and my wife has the big car most days now. I look daft driving it, but don’t care, and certainly don’t care if anyone bashes it 😀

Maybe we should treat our cars like the French?

Absolutely this. I stopped giving a crap about the exterior appearance of our Berlingo (I know) after a couple of years. It's much more relaxing not having to worry about every single scratch, plus I can push wheelie bins out of the way when the binmen distribute them randomly about the back lane.

Admittedly, if you're spending upwards of £500 a month on a lease car you're likely to have a different opinion. But then if you're paying £500 a month for a car you'll never own you might need help.

It is a consequence of people seeing cars as status symbols rather than just as transportation.

I've always found this to be a weird argument. I presume you see your house as just a dwelling and haven't bothered with things like wallpaper or carpets?

How much did your bike cost? More than £300 from Halfords? Why? It's just a mode of transport.

I’ll always park at the other end of the car park in a clear area and never had an issue. In fact it’s surprising how often it’s quicker to do that than try and find a space near the store

Indeed. My (formerly) local ASDA has the most godawful car park. It's a one-way system in a big loop so you either have to drive all the way around to get in, or park earlier and then still have to drive all the way around to get out. At peak times it's chaos. Alternatively, there's a couple of rows down the side which don't involve going anywhere near the main car park, right next to the site entrance. So it can save you like ten minutes but it means you need to walk an extra 50m maybe. They're always near-empty.

This went badly wrong for me this summer. I parked within a space, but at the end of a long line of solid spaces, with an odd shaped gap to one side leading the next long line of spaces, off at an angle. My reasoning was I was reducing door impact by 50%.

What I had not factored in was that every other person in the carpark behind me with prams and bikes would also use the same narrowing triangle shaped gap past my car to get out of car park. Yes, I left car park with two lovely new dents down the door. Despite being perfectly parked in a spot. Oh well, it's battle scars of summer holidays. Happy New year all.

it means you need to walk an extra 50m maybe. They’re always near-empty

See my local chippy.
On a corner T-junction, double yellows, but 25m up the road there's a row of (almost always empty) 1hr parking spaces.

Guess where most of the customers park? 😡

@trail_rat 😆😆😆

A forklift truck would definitely solve the op's issue 🤣🤣

It is a consequence of people seeing cars as status symbols rather than just as transportation.

Ha! My EcoSport is hardly anyone’s idea of a status symbol, however, it’s the newest car I’ve ever owned, and the second most expensive thing I’ve ever bought after my house. I intend for it to be the last car I ever need to buy, because of my age, and so looking after it makes perfect sense.
It’s people who lease cars, particularly Motability customers, who I’m sure are the biggest culprits, because it’s not ‘their’ car, they hand it back at a later date with little or no consequences for the poor treatment of the car, and thus no consideration for banging into other peoples cars. I have seen and driven many, many ex-lease cars and the condition they’re handed back in to think otherwise.

Don't see a problem in a near empty carpark. The spaces are to evenly allocate space in a busy carpark.

There was an excellent example of entitled parking at Lanthwaite Woods this morning - three cars parking lengthways managed to take up 7 spaces - good effort!

An associate of mine has a Hummer and a Bentley. He has a season ticket for two spots at his local train station as the cars do not fit into one....

Isn’t that theartistformerlyknownsasstr elshamino.

….lazy bugger could have reverse parked it

Hehe 😉

Even more annoyinger is when the car park is completely empty, you park miles away from the shops to dissuade the idle door clatterers from parking near you and you come out to a still empty car park with one parked right beside yours… Special bullets for the selfish shits that smash my stuff.

This x10

I haven't had a car damaged by the fabled door clatterers in over 30 years of driving and have never felt the need to take up 2 parking spaces. Parking in a parking space is a normal usage scenario for a car, if you deem your car too precious too be used in a normal situation then you have elevated its importance above its intended use and you are just going through mental gymnastics to convince yourself otherwise.

@msp That's the second time you've made that point and it still doesn't mean those that look after their stuff either park badly or elevate the care of things beyond just that ie taking care of it.

You treat your stuff like shit if you like but don't tar others with your rather scabby brush please.

if you deem your car too precious too be used in a normal situation then you have elevated its importance above its intended use and you are just going through mental gymnastics to convince yourself otherwise.

Oh do shut up.

Yet another case of if you don't think how I do, you are obviously wrong

Yet another case of if you don’t think how I do, you are obviously wrong

AKA 'a TJism'. He's not here to defend himself but that was his default setting in his former existence.

Extra points if park forwards over two spaces.

@msp That’s the second time you’ve made that point and it still doesn’t mean those that look after their stuff either park badly or elevate the care of things beyond just that ie taking care of it.

You treat your stuff like shit if you like but don’t tar others with your rather scabby brush please.

I look after my stuff just fine, that is nothing to do with the over entitled selfishness of taking up two parking spaces for 1 car.

@msp Don't be obtuse. Taking care of things/not wanting your stuff bashed does not necessarily mean taking up two spaces.

I'd really prefer the former without the latter which is why I usually park in the next postcode.

Don't mind me. Just unloading.

I'll just leave my engine running too.

It's not causing any harm.

I’m not sure the logical conclusion there is that parking spaces need to get bigger, though I’m sure many would think so…

Presumably you are one of the advocates of removing all safety features from cars?

My 2003 Civic was bigger than an 80s Accord estate. I know which one I'd rather be in if I was crashing it.

Don’t be obtuse. Taking care of things/not wanting your stuff bashed does not necessarily mean taking up two spaces.

So what's your actual point here? If you're not defending double parkers then who are you defending?

@elshalimo that's exactly it! Although in my defence I parked as far as possible from the shop in the dead zone and on the end of a row lest a pair of funny buggers decided to box me in.

So what’s your actual point here? If you’re not defending double parkers then who are you defending?

Defending? Nothing. Rejecting the 'logic leap' that if you'd prefer to take care of your stuff you're either the anti Christ or some sort of materialist, self entitled narcissist.

I'm pretty certain other options are available. Eg you'd just prefer to not have your stuff trashed by careless, thoughtless oafs.

Defending? Nothing. Rejecting the ‘logic leap’ that if you’d prefer to take care of your stuff you’re either the anti Christ or some sort of materialist, self entitled narcissist

You are the only one who has made that logical leap.

With two threads on it this week, I am genuinely fascinated by how so many people can be so interested in and annoyed by how people park cars.

I look after my stuff just fine, that is nothing to do with the over entitled selfishness of taking up two parking spaces for 1 car.

But the OP's pic didn't show selfishness. There was numerous empty spaces. Selfishness only applies in a busy carpark where parking over 2 spaces deprives someone else of a space.

It's more selfish to park right next to a car in a near empty carpark. The driver/passenger may have mobility issues but no blue badge.

Marked bays are to evenly allocate space where it is at a premium.

But the OP’s pic didn’t show selfishness. There was numerous empty spaces. Selfishness only applies in a busy carpark where parking over 2 spaces deprives someone else of a space.

Well that would be a valid point assuming they stopped admitting folk to the carpark after the person with the most important car I mean I often arrive places at 6am..... It's quiet. By 9am it's at capacity.....but shit it was quiet when I parked over 2 space situations are fluid and a parked car is not.

If it is a paying car park then you can get a fined if you only have one ticket as you are using two spaces.

There are free carparks near me where you'd get a ticket for not parking in the bay properly

Extra points if park forwards over two spaces.

Weird - thats not how it works in Roulette. A split reduces they payout from 35:1 to 17:1. A corner square only gets you 8:1.

Wasn't there a high profile case where a BMW driver bought two tickets and still got fined for parking like a donkey ?

Edit - was a Ferrari

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ferrari-driver-furious-parking-car-two-spaces-bays-church-road-antrim-northern-ireland-kevin-mcwhinney-a8037651.html

That one is interesting as he said he was doing it as his car was as wide as the space so paid for 2 spaces or he wouldn’t have been able to get back in his car. I can imagine he is right as those cars are very wide with long doors.
To still fine him when he paid for 2 tickets is petty really.

Well I got as far as the first three words of that article - “A sausage tycoon…” - and got the giggles. I’ll try again later.

Presumably you are one of the advocates of removing all safety features from cars?

Is it only big SUVS etc that have safety features? No one used to drive them here 20 years ago, now they are super common. They might be safer for the people inside, but not for everyone else.

Buying an inappropriately large car for our roads then complaining that parking spaces aren't big enough seems like the height of entitlement/stupidity to me. 🤷‍♂️

The odd time I visit a trail centre I consider the gaps between cars quite selfish. With a bit more care and consideration, you could probably fit 20% more cars in.

You need to be cautious with that one. I share the same viewpoint and always parked with a view to allowing the maximum number of people to park.

One time a few years back I parked at Llandegla and then thought I'd left too much space between me and the next car, so I went out and reparked a bit closer. The guy went absolutely ballistic. He was apoplectic and if I hadn't had he kids with me there was no doubt he would have kicked absolute shit out of me.
He was right in my face, toe to toe telling me exactly that. Then he went away but the came back and started again.
I tried to explain that I was just trying to take up less space so other people could park. But he wasn't having any of it.
It was a thoroughly terrifying experience.

But the OP’s pic didn’t show selfishness. There was numerous empty spaces.

True at the time the picture was taken. Not necessarily true later...

Buying an inappropriately large car for our roads then complaining that parking spaces aren’t big enough seems like the height of entitlement/stupidity to me. 🤷‍♂️

In Shetland we have a local policy of parking spaces that are larger than the national roads design guide specification. Partly due to the number of big SUVs, pick ups and 4x4s, but it has the advantage of giving a bit more space for people with kids and mobility issues getting in and out of cars. Ironically you still see plenty of people using up double spaces as it would seem a larger space still isn't enough for some 🙄

https://twitter.com/WorldBollard/status/1476883906280538115?t=j19AwSYoXWRqd8qUkmpXAQ&s=19

True at the time the picture was taken. Not necessarily true later…

Oh FFS 🙄

And all these perfect drivers on this thread, whiter than white, never did nowt wrong EVER.

I dont know which is worse, the holier than thou or the fing apple polishers.

And all these perfect drivers on this thread, whiter than white, never did nowt wrong EVER.

Naw just not self important enough to think my car deserves two spaces that could occupy two vehicles at some point during my tenure

See also- not sitting on two seats on the bus/train/aeroplane

Or not eating the person next to me's lunch at a restaurant.....

But then the last time I professed to have good manners I was shot down on here for not sticking it to the man and being my own person.....

Oh FFS 🙄

And al these perfect drivers on this thread, whiter than white, never did nowt wrong EVER

It wasn't an unreasonable comment. I'm not a perfect driver by any stretch, but I do know that if I park in a half empty car park at some times of day, such as mid-morning, there's a good chance the car park will be busy before I get back to my car. It's not very realistic to assume because it's not busy now it's going to stay that way. (FFS 😛)

That part of the post wasnt directed at yourself, just the bit before it.

I mean what if you took a pic at a distance and the entire park was completely empty - That would infer one thing, maybe not so negative, or another pic of it choke-o-block, and that the only car taking up two spots, that then would infer something else. But i think commenting on the actual pic at hand rather than speculating as to what might be is the best way forward.

Its not the daily mail comments section we're replying to 😉

And all these perfect drivers on this thread, whiter than white, never did nowt wrong EVER.

I do plenty wrong but this is a very easily avoided piece of bellendry.

the daily mail comments section

Shudder! 😉