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Parking Bay Size

J

Jester

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Location
Dorset
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Grand California 680
Is it not time car parking bays were amended to accommodate cars of todays age and size, standard size (2.4 metres wide by 4.8 metres long) a normal golf 1.8 meter wide by 4.3 meters long.
 
Remember the time they launched budget airlines ... and suddenly the leg room vanished? Well, the same on parking - more cars they can fit into a given space, the more money they will make. The don't give a hoot to the size of the car.

Sainsburys in a fantastic example in irrational behaviour here. They have made the parking slots smaller, and then put double white lines between the parking slots to make it seem that there is space for you to open your door (in about 12 inches of space to the next parked car).

Sometimes I wonder if the parking people are in cahoots with the local body shop, to get rid of the dings on the vehicles.
 
kurienp said:
Remember the time they launched budget airlines ... and suddenly the leg room vanished? Well, the same on parking - more cars they can fit into a given space, the more money they will make. The don't give a hoot to the size of the car.

Sainsburys in a fantastic example in irrational behaviour here. They have made the parking slots smaller, and then put double white lines between the parking slots to make it seem that there is space for you to open your door (in about 12 inches of space to the next parked car).

Sometimes I wonder if the parking people are in cahoots with the local body shop, to get rid of the dings on the vehicles.
Click to expand...
John Lewis in Cardiff have got it right as have the St David's Car Park.
 
Would be nice if the “norm” for cars hadn’t got so bloated. Is there really a demand for massive SUVs and Hummer size pick up trucks?
 
ArunAlec said:
Would be nice if the “norm” for cars hadn’t got so bloated. Is there really a demand for massive SUVs and Hummer size pick up trucks?
Click to expand...
Gosh! of course yes. How else will the small children get to the school that is just around the corner unless you have a pink coloured Range Rover V8 - of course, not to forget, tuned by Overfinch!
 
ArunAlec said:
Would be nice if the “norm” for cars hadn’t got so bloated. Is there really a demand for massive SUVs and Hummer size pick up trucks?
Click to expand...
I believe the reason cars have grown in size (even a VW Polo is massive compared to the one we had 30 years ago) is due to the safety features and crash testing needed. Cars have bigger side and rear crumple zones and protection.

My old Land Rover Defender (an ancient SUV..??) is quite narrow compared to a modern saloon car.

Plus, I dont care if someone wants to try and smash their door into it....I know who'll come off worse...;-)
 
I have given up stopping at Cambridge services on A14 as I reversed into a parking spot with no problem and could get out of the sliding door but noticed that the cars ether side would have great difficulty getting out of their drivers doors. I left and I now stop at Applegreen Spaldwick Service Station instead.

Our local Sainsburys is good on width as they have extra lines between vehicles so there is always a gap but a bit tight on length.

Why is it when I deliberately park far from a shop entrance in perfect isolation someone parks next to me or behind me so I can not use the rear door?
 
Pretty much all modern cars are way bigger than when parking bay dimensions were devised. It's not just the SUVs. In the sixties most cars in British roads were no more than about 1.5m wide.

However... even with 2m wide cars if people park accurately in a 2.4m bay that leaves a 40cm door gap which should be sufficient. All modern cars have power steering and most have reversing aids such as cameras so it shouldn't be too much to ask for people to position reasonably precisely. But maybe the 'double lined' bays now started to appear do make some sense if they encourage people to park centrally.

Anyway with a Cali it's never really a problem, in a tight space you just use the sliding door to jump out, no?
 
Take the grand kids and use family bays.
 
with big SUVs (2m wide) not a problem just park right in the middle so the line is smack in the center of the car, and you comfortably have 1,4m each side right and left. ;)
 
Velma's Dad said:
Pretty much all modern cars are way bigger than when parking bay dimensions were devised. It's not just the SUVs. In the sixties most cars in British roads were no more than about 1.5m wide.

However... even with 2m wide cars if people park accurately in a 2.4m bay that leaves a 40cm door gap which should be sufficient. All modern cars have power steering and most have reversing aids such as cameras so it shouldn't be too much to ask for people to position reasonably precisely. But maybe the 'double lined' bays now started to appear do make some sense if they encourage people to park centrally.

Anyway with a Cali it's never really a problem, in a tight space you just use the sliding door to jump out, no?
Click to expand...
You need to park with the sliding door alongside the other cars passenger door, otherwise the other driver might try to get in damaging your vehicle rather than using his passenger door and sliding across, which is not easy on many cars. They are then more likely to pull forward to let a passenger in.
 
A couple of years back I stopped at a Sainsburys in Brislington, Bristol. They had about 20 spaces with signs saying something like “For larger vehicles”, and had a few RVs and pick-ups parked. I was so surprised I took a photo. They were a decent walk for the store entrance, but then I’m used to walking from the extremities of car parks. Never seen this anywhere else, but a great idea.
 
To add insult, many car parks have areas with painted hatching that actually aren’t used for anything. Yet if you slightly infringe this space, though impacting no-one, you face an inevitable extortionate penalty.
 
My tactics for Cali parking
1) If no enforcement for bay straddling do it 2 good, 4 better. Tough out the horrified looks from fellow users
2) If bay straddling prohibited by attendant enforcement (anyone identified a bay enforcement camera yet?) protect the passenger side by parking on a row end or against a structure.
Parking “dings” are far cheaper to repair on drivers side panels
3) Avoid parking next to cars with child seats in. Wider opening and no hands to hold/restrain door when child extracted/inserted.increases risk of damage to Cali
4) As Welsh Gas’ advice and as close as possible. Less space for them to get a good “swing” of their door at your Cali paint work.
5)Don’t park parallel to the bay sides but get the van aligned diagonally.
This causes adjacent parkers to lose their alignment by reference to your van side for parallel parking and you get a bit more space at you passenger or drivers door (whichever you require)
5) Park as far away from entrance to building/venue as possible (if willing to walk extra distance). Most people don’t so your vehicle is left in isolation.
Only downside are the “companion” Parker’s who spy your lonely vehicle and think it needs company,, so cosy up to it.;)
Happy (dent free )parking
 
Resfeber said:
My tactics for Cali parking
1) If no enforcement for bay straddling do it 2 good, 4 better. Tough out the horrified looks from fellow users
2) If bay straddling prohibited by attendant enforcement (anyone identified a bay enforcement camera yet?) protect the passenger side by parking on a row end or against a structure.
Parking “dings” are far cheaper to repair on drivers side panels
3) Avoid parking next to cars with child seats in. Wider opening and no hands to hold/restrain door when child extracted/inserted.increases risk of damage to Cali
4) As Welsh Gas’ advice and as close as possible. Less space for them to get a good “swing” of their door at your Cali paint work.
5)Don’t park parallel to the bay sides but get the van aligned diagonally.
This causes adjacent parkers to lose their alignment by reference to your van side for parallel parking and you get a bit more space at you passenger or drivers door (whichever you require)
5) Park as far away from entrance to building/venue as possible (if willing to walk extra distance). Most people don’t so your vehicle is left in isolation.
Only downside are the “companion” Parker’s who spy your lonely vehicle and think it needs company,, so cosy up to it.;)
Happy (dent free )parking
Click to expand...
Evil genius.
 
Resfeber said:
My tactics for Cali parking
1) If no enforcement for bay straddling do it 2 good, 4 better. Tough out the horrified looks from fellow users
2) If bay straddling prohibited by attendant enforcement (anyone identified a bay enforcement camera yet?) protect the passenger side by parking on a row end or against a structure.
Parking “dings” are far cheaper to repair on drivers side panels
3) Avoid parking next to cars with child seats in. Wider opening and no hands to hold/restrain door when child extracted/inserted.increases risk of damage to Cali
4) As Welsh Gas’ advice and as close as possible. Less space for them to get a good “swing” of their door at your Cali paint work.
5)Don’t park parallel to the bay sides but get the van aligned diagonally.
This causes adjacent parkers to lose their alignment by reference to your van side for parallel parking and you get a bit more space at you passenger or drivers door (whichever you require)
5) Park as far away from entrance to building/venue as possible (if willing to walk extra distance). Most people don’t so your vehicle is left in isolation.
Only downside are the “companion” Parker’s who spy your lonely vehicle and think it needs company,, so cosy up to it.;)
Happy (dent free )parking
Click to expand...
Adding:

6. Take the other half and drop them at the door, then circle endlessly until they return. (Works for shopping, less well for going out to a restaurant..).
 
Last edited:
Resfeber said:
My tactics for Cali parking
1) If no enforcement for bay straddling do it 2 good, 4 better. Tough out the horrified looks from fellow users
Click to expand...
Provided you pay for 2 bays then officially you haven't done anything wrong.

But in tight limited beach parking, this won't go down well with other Beach users.
 
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