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I was sat in my car in a car park this morning waiting for an elderly gent to park and clear my exit. This took some time as he was being guided in forwards by an elderly lady (wife) who judging by her directions was not a driver. The amusing bit was that the car was a Corsa and the parking space was larger than usual. Glad he was not parking next to my car!
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Parking is now part of the driving test so scenes like this should become rarer in the future.
It wasn't when I took mine - I never learned to park 'properly' and usually touch the kerb with the wheel.
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Driving and parking are two different skills. One may be good in driving but not in parking and vice versa.
Parking requires good spatial awareness and bit of patience as well.
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I seldom have to park by a kerb so I've never developed a fluent technique. It quietly makes my day when I pull off a good one.
Years ago, the Independent published a weekend feature promising to reveal the 'secrets' behind the skills you'd always envied in others. One was parallel parking and I turned eagerly to the page. The advice began 'first find a space twice the length of the car'. I almost cried - if I could find a space like that I wouldn't need a secret method!
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>> Parking requires good spatial awareness and bit of patience as well.
Yes, and not just driver patience either.
I was trying to reverse out of a parking space the other day. It is a space near the entrance to the car park and there was a lot of traffic coming in and out; also there is a pedestrian crossing point.
It was a particularly hectic time of day, lots of cars coming and going and not giving any heed to anybody trying to leave a parking space. Lots of people using the crossing.
So, I am slowly edging out, having to look six ways at once, when a guy steps out behind the car. No problem, because I'm looking six ways at once, I see him and stop.
He stops too, and then decides that he is going to guide me out. That would be fine, but he doesn't seem to be taking any heed of anything else that is going on, and just seems to think that I need to avoid the cars that I am parked between.
Well, I tried to explain that he constant instructions to reverse where no helping with my concentration, at which point he starts getting annoyed (I suppose he thought I was holding him up).
He has a few choice words for me, and I return the favour and then he decides to cross in front of me instead.
Reminded me of the times when I am out with the pram and a car stops to let me cross, and then gets annoyed when I don't...the only thing being that they haven't taken account of the white van that is about to overtake them.
I appreciate that people are trying to be helpful, but often the awareness levels of people are not in line with their kindness.
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>> I appreciate that people are trying to be helpful, but often the awareness levels of
>> people are not in line with their kindness.
>>
Just like the one that think their headlight flash gives you absolute priority over vehicles that hey have ignored / haven't seen.
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>> I was trying to reverse out of a parking space the other day. It is
>> a space near the entrance to the car park and there was a lot of
>> traffic coming in and out; also there is a pedestrian crossing point.
>>
>> It was a particularly hectic time of day, lots of cars coming and going and
>> not giving any heed to anybody trying to leave a parking space. Lots of people
>> using the crossing.
>>
Maybe you should have reversed into that space rather than out.
Glad to see you were actually looking 6 ways at once though, many drivers seem to be looking nowhere when they reverse out of a space and most actually take little or no notice of pedestrians, who have the indisputable right of way.
Last edited by: Kithmo on Thu 7 Oct 10 at 13:50
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My wife has been driving for 30 years but she can't park or reverse,
dunno how she's gonna get on when I go up the bone yard as our drive is long & narrow.
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>>Motorbike<<
Phew! She's bad enough on 4 wheels me ole Devon toffee :)
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>> My wife has been driving for 30 years but she can't park or reverse,
>>.
>> reminds me of the dog that lost its nose
how does it smell?
.......................................................terrible was the answer
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>>reminds me of the dog that lost its nose<<
My dog don't eat meat,
Why not?
I don't give it any!
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She'll spend the insurance on a VW with Park Assist. Only £80. Amazing.
John
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>>
>> Parking requires good spatial awareness and bit of patience as well.
>>
Or a reversing camera ;0)
Last edited by: Kithmo on Thu 7 Oct 10 at 13:42
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Following my road-parked car being seriously (it took 11 weeks to be repaired!) damaged by a passing car I now only park on the road as a very last resort, so my parallel parking skills are minimal. When parking in a car park, I park as far away from other cars as I can get, and always in a slot which gives me easy reversing. I make sure that I'm not going to be a problem to other parkers. The "things" in my rear bumper help tremendously.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Thu 7 Oct 10 at 13:47
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Reverse in drive out - don't always do it, wife always reverses into slots and on to the drive, I'm too idle.
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To get into 'my' parking space at the current abode requires a long u turn on full lock around a kerbed plot with trees and bushes. Difficult enough to slot in going forwards. Can't imagine doing it in reverse voluntarily. The clutch slipping would worry me.
Last edited by: Glaikit Wee Scunner Snr. {P} on Thu 7 Oct 10 at 14:18
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>> The clutch slipping would worry
>> me.
>>
You are not one who moves your car at parking spped at 5,000+rpm and a smoking clutch are you?
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Step 1. Stop
Step 2. Done
:-)
My gf might not be able to drive in a straight line but she's been able to consistantly out-park 99% of road users since not long after passing her test. My old man's never fail technique never fails, doesn't matter how long or short a car you're in... Free's up your mind / eyes for talent spotting.
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Old codgers believe that, since the advent of servo-assisted brakes, a healthy reading on the tachometer (or mechanical racket) will totally prevent brake failure now or in the future.
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>> Reverse in drive out - don't always do it, wife always reverses into slots and
>> on to the drive, I'm too idle.
>>
I drive in, reverse out, makes the car less attractive to thieves who want a quick getaway. And always try to find a space next to a better car than mine (not difficult) for the same reason.
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I guess I gained alot from working in the trade where parking cars unnaturally close was part of the job. I remember reversing a Rolls up to a plate glass window and having managed that, I knew id be fine in anything smaller. I can street park a Luton van ok and thats the biggest thing my license allows, so parking is the one box I can tick.
My wife on the otherhand. Oh dear. She cant even park her car straight or even near the wall in our arrow straight driveway - going backwards is asking for a crunch. Her depth perception is terrible! My mum, after 30 plus years of riving is no better.
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I actually find my old Mondeo estate with no parking sensors easier to park than my much shorter Qashqai with the beepy things. Don't know why. Maybe I'm just very used to the the old girl. We've been together a long time and for most of that time I couldn't even see out of the back window for luggage so I got used to doing my reversing on the door mirrors which now seem absurdly small by comparison to the Nissan's.
Cortinas were easy to park for some reason. Appropos of not much.
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Oddly I find my Octavia much easier to park than its Focus predecessor. Granted, the Octy has very good sensors, but the mirrors are much better sized for reversing, spotting white lines tec
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Stu, respect! I'm not too bad with a car, with or without parking sensors, but I'm utterly hopeless with a van or minibus. I have no idea where the back end is so consequently leave an embarrassingly large gap. Still better that than an embarrassing dent.
John
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I used to hate reverse parking my wife's Ford Ka. Small, awkwardly shaped windows, even smaller and more awkwardly shaped door mirrors and a tendency to massively overestimate the exterior dimensions.
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Vans are pretty easy aslong as you can judge length - they have lovely big mirrors and are very simple shapes - only time I had to really look was when I was parking a Luton on a victorian street where the kerb falls away at the edges, so when parking next to the telegraph pole, I had to make sure I didnt clip the roof on it while it looked fine at kerb level what with it leaning over so much.
Its all good fun!
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and hugely satisfying when you walk away from the car and think "did I get into THAT space!?
Of course there are also the "did I pass up on that space" moments as you walk past something big enough to take Ark Royal.
John
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Had to n/s parallel park the pick up outside a busy Herts country pub one summer Saturday evening whilst the many diners were watching the cricket, i ignored the audience but SWMBO commented that there were many nods of approval at my first time 'guesswork' of reversing to exactly 3" from the car behind by mirrors alone before centralising.
I knew those front and rear sensors were worth every penny as i strode nonchalantly away..;)
Can i park She's new C2, can i heck as like, and my lad can't park his She's Panda either but has no problem with a 60' truck, can't even begin to explain the mess we both make of it.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Thu 7 Oct 10 at 22:03
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The other day at a service station on the autobahn I watched, fascinated, as an enormous Romanian registered artic attempted to parallel park in a space that to me looked only inches longer than the truck. He (She?) succeeded and in a remarkably short space of time. Respect!
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Because they bend in the middle Bagpuss, they are so easy to parallel park.
I still can't do it with the CRV though:(
Pat
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In the Prius T-Spirit, I just press the Intelligent park assist button and it finds a space and parks in it, all I have to do is drive slowly past the space, stop when it beeps, change into reverse and control the reversing speed with the brake to keep it under 2mph, it steers itself ;0)
For manual parking, the reversing camera shows me guide lines overlaid on the rear view, straight green lines show me where I will go if I reverse straight back, curved green lines show me where I will go if I reverse with full lock on and a yellow box, that bends when I turn the steering wheel, shows me where I will go with the current amount of steering on. Best thing since sliced bread.
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>>Best thing since sliced bread<<
No, in my book that's cheating:)
Pat
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>>>Because they bend in the middle...
Indeed.... my days with a farm tractor and hay trailer were a joy in this regard. Fingerlight pas, very tight turning circle and superb view of the trailer. A real pleasure to back down a narrow yard and slot the trailer into places a car would struggle to fit.
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>> Best thing since sliced bread.
>>
Sounds like your parking skills match those of the chap in the OP. I hope your driving skills are better for all our safety.
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LOL, Is that the green eyed monster I see ?
I must admit this is making me lazy, but driving and parking cars for 37 years and having held a Class 3 HGV driving and parking 52ft of lorry and trailer, gimmie a break ...
Last edited by: Kithmo on Fri 8 Oct 10 at 11:30
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>> LOL, Is that the green eyed monster I see ?
>>
Green eyed, a Prius, do me a favour, a lawnmower engine backed up by a torch battery, no thanks. I will stick with diesel.
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>> >>
>> Green eyed, a Prius, do me a favour, a lawnmower engine backed up by a
>> torch battery, no thanks. I will stick with diesel.
>>
LOL, you forgot to mention the 60kW washing machine motor that's coupled to the 200v torch battery and 93kW lawnmower engine that allows me to drive using no petrol and pay no VED.
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...using no petrol and pay no VED...
There was a bilker at crown court today who used petrol he didn't pay for, drove a decent car and paid no VED.
OK, it was somebody else's decent car. :)
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Now now ON, that's not like you. We all like our toys so, while I agree that it's sort of "cheating" it is a cracking toy :-)
John
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>>driving and parking 52ft of lorry and trailer<<
Not on the road with a Class 3, I hope;)
Pat
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>> >>driving and parking 52ft of lorry and trailer<<
>>
>> Not on the road with a Class 3, I hope;)
>>
Yup, recovery vehicle & twin axle trailer (not artic).
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Touche:).....and not easy to reverse, either!
Pat
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>> Reverse in drive out - ............
I go forward into parking slots where the front of my car won't get damaged by other parkers. My reasoning is that damage to the exposed rear of my car will generally be less immobilising than damage to the front. I'd sooner have brpken rear lights than broken headlights.
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What strikes me is the number of people to scared to park next to another car. I pulled into the office car park at 8:40 this morning and took the first free space next to a Peugeot - when I went back to the car 10 minutes later the next free space to my left is still empty with a mazda in the next space, then another empty space then a Bentley, then another empty space and a BMW - they all work here and they all know the car park will be 90%+ full by 9 o'clock
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I bet the gap-leavers were all parked nose-in, Bora. They want a space they can just turn into without all that tiresome manoeuvring and lining up. Conversely, those of us who reverse in look for a nice, wide space between two cars that are already neatly parked - not with two tyres on the line or diagonally across the space. My reasoning is that someone who is careless on the way in is just as likely to be careless on the way out, and I'd rather my car weren't in the way.
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I'm a gap leaver. Why should i have to be constrained by an undersized parking space when there's all that free space available.
I'm not precluding anyone from coming along and using the space in between later when it's busy, but i'll exit my car in comfort thank you very much ;-)
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>>not with two tyres on the line or diagonally across the space. My reasoning is that someone who is careless on the way in is just as likely to be careless on the way out
My car cost me fifty quid. I admit to getting a perverse pleasure parking close to the driver's door of someone who's parked 'arrogantly', particularly those who park in the middle of two spaces.
At the moment it's covered in mud (or something closely resembling mud that you get from a sheep pasture). It's amazing how much space others give it. ;>)
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>> My car cost me fifty quid. I admit to getting a perverse pleasure parking close
>> to the driver's door of someone who's parked 'arrogantly', particularly those who
>> park in the middle of two spaces.
I saw someone parked like that, when I was waiting for the missus the other day. There were actually four spaces and he had parked exactly in the middle of the middle two.
I did daydream about driving off and buying two bangers to park an inch either side, and maybe a third to park across the rear of him...but if I hadn't been there when the missus came out, there would have been hell to pay :)
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Pet parking hate. Dimwits who walk behind your car when it is already in motion reversing. The worst of the breed are pushing supermarket trolleys at the time.
As I've mentioned before, quite often my car can be so full as to have no vision through the rear screen. No problem to park if you memorise the size of the gap and use the door mirrors, until of course some freakwit often accompanied by freakwit jnr. walks behind your car to cross the road ( and usually stops behind you out of the range of the mirrors what's more ) while you are in the reverse phase of a parallel park.
Some people were definitely last in the queue at the brain counter.
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>> Some people were definitely last in the queue at the brain counter.
>>
If Brains were Trains it would have been a small Clockwork one.
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>> >> Some people were definitely last in the queue at the brain counter.
>> >>
>> If Brains were Trains it would have been a small Clockwork one.
>>
Thats it, when God gave out brains, they thought he said trains, so got off the line.
Others thought he said roses, when handing out noses, so asked for a big red one!
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>> I'm a gap leaver. Why should i have to be constrained by an undersized parking
>> space when there's all that free space available.
Me too.
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...Dimwits who walk behind your car when it is already in motion reversing...
I knocked someone over who did this.
I was reversing out of an on-street space, and she wanted to cross the road behind me.
There was a gentle thud, so out I hop and nip round the back of the car to see her getting up and dusting herself down.
No harm done.
"Didn't you see me?" she asked grumpily.
I was tempted to say: "Yes, I knocked you over on purpose."
But I thought it best to confine myself to a solicitous apology.
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I've never actually hit anyone while reversing thank goodness but I've come close. Then of course they glare at you as if they had no responsibility in the matter at all.
Then there's the place we often go mountain biking. Huuuuge car park with no marked bays. The Forestry Commission leave it to the common sense of its visitors to park intelligently. Big mistake...huge.
Many vehicles using this facility have bike racks on top. So when we or they arrive we park far enough away from other vehicles to get the bikes on and off safely, like I say, there's tons of room.
Inevitably though, when we come back from our ride, some amoeba brained dunderhead has parked right next to the car so you can't get the bikes on, presumably just so they have 2 feet fewer to waddle to the burger van.
And another thing...
:-)
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Sat 9 Oct 10 at 13:59
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and another thing....
why do people park bum in at supermarkets? You either have to carry all your stuff from the trolley, between 2 cars to the boot or (cringing now) squeeze the trolley down.
John
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Must plan their parking the way they plan the rest of their driving. Anything beyond their steering wheel is a total mystery.
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I always reverse in at the supermarket. But I always choose bays adjacent to the covered walkways so that I can load up while sheltering from the raincloud that seems to follow me round.
Life, don't talk to me about life....
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>> But I always choose bays adjacent to the
>> covered walkways>>
Covered walkways, where is this supermarket for wimps?
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Off to the forest with the bikes now. It's a beautiful Autumn day here so the "line waddlers" will be out in force no doubt. Having parked rudely, six abreast, blocking the paths, grumbling when you have the audacity to want them to move over so you can pass by, their excited little dogs running loose, diving in front of our wheels, snapping at our ankles, crapping with abandon on the paths. Unsupervised children stepping in front of us despite having excused ourselves to their bovine mouth breathing parents....
Should be fun...
:-)
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Sun 10 Oct 10 at 11:08
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...should be fun...
Humph,
It's a shame your enjoyment of the forest is so blighted.
In the absence of an enforceable Final Solution, can I suggest you try getting up a bit earlier in the morning?
The dreadful people of which you speak are unlikely to be taking up space at the beauty spot at 8am.
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"Off to the forest with the bikes now"
Today I'm going to hang ours up in the garage for the winter. Then I'm going to disassemble the patio furniture and swing. Then I'm going to clear the garage to make room for the car. Minus 2 last night and frost on the ground this morning. Long and cold winter forecast. It's all very depressing. Only two weeks ago I was drinking outside with the neighbours till the early hours and sleeping with the windows open. It's like somebody hit the "off" switch.
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"Long and cold winter forecast."
It's all that global warming, you know. That CO2 (one molecule in 2800 at the last count) is nasty stuff.. :-)
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As someone who sustained a cut requiring 6 stitches resulting from a collision with a mountain biker whilst walking on a footpath (note that word foot path) I could make a comment about lunatic lycra clad idiots in silly helmets but I won't.
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CG - Very sorry to hear of your accident and as a lifelong bike rider I can believe it or not entirely sympathise. Those of our fraternity who recklessly ride on footpaths are idiots. No question.
Equally though, those who let their dogs and children run loose on what is one of the country's preciously few dedicated mountain bike courses are equally, let's say, miguided.
As with most things, common sense is all that is actually required.
Edit - let's take an example. Football being played on a dedicated pitch in a park. Would anyone in their right mind let their dog or child run or wander across it ? Or would those strolling in the park walk six abreast across it during the match ?
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Sun 10 Oct 10 at 18:56
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I've played cricket in parts of Coventry and Nuneaton where the locals have done just that, Humph. The advice of the home team was usually that it was unwise to challenge them.
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>The advice of the home team was usually that it was unwise to challenge them.
With a cricket bat in your hand?
Kevin...
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Surely a well aimed cricket ball 'unintentionally' hit in their direction would be a discouragement? After all, there's twenty four of you.
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>> Surely a well aimed cricket ball 'unintentionally' hit in their direction would be a discouragement?
>> After all, there's twenty four of you.
>>
In theory, Yes.
However there are parts of Tottenham where odds of "four locals to 24 cricketers" would definitely be favourable .... for the locals. (B--------- F---, for example)
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>> Surely a well aimed cricket ball 'unintentionally' hit in their direction would be a discouragement?
>> After all, there's twenty four of you.
>>
It works wonders, many moons ago I was one of a fire crew who was harrased by some drunken low life, a blast of a high pressure fire hose on a freezing winter evening put out the message that Navy fire crews dont take crap. Odd that our police escort didn't see a thing, but were well impressed.
Oh for a return to the days of common sense.
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And another thing. Swimming pools. Most swimming pools have lanes marked in them. This is not a coincidence or some randomly common art form or a mysterious type of symbolism. They are there to enable those swimming to train in an organised and measureable fashion and indeed when racing.
Running tracks are marked similarly and by and large the concept is grasped by most that when runners are using them it is bad form to wander across in front of them or to stop for a chat in the middle of them.
In swimming pools though, it seems to be the accepted norm to totally ignore the lane swimmers and to seemingly deliberately baulk their training routine.
And another thing...
:-)
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The MiL has been visiting? Or, worse still, is about to? :-)
John
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No thank goodness, that would put me in one of my bad moods. As it is, I'm feeling remarkably tolerant and inclusive today all told.
:-)
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"And another thing..."
Tourists who stop to look in shop windows?
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>> Tourists who stop to look in shop windows?
No, they're ok. They might buy something we have supplied to that retailer.
Zebra crossings though. They are quite another thing. So you're driving along and there is someone waiting to cross at a zebra crossing. No problem, you stop and politely wave them across. They clear the crossing and you prepare to move off. Just then a pushchair appears in your peripheral vision having been accelerated to running pace by it's operator who has then made a hard and rapid right angled turn onto the crossing in front of you without breaking stride and shoots out in front of your already moving car causing you to brake suddenly resulting in a glare of derision being directed at you from all in the vicinity.
And another thing...
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and another thing... Pelican crossings. At least with Zebras there's someone there.
John
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Tourists who stop to look in shop windows? Kid's stuff. What about Japanese tourists videoing what's in the shop window. Honest.
John
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Belisha Beacon Mimsers? The guy who hovers around pedestrian crossings outside boutiques, circling and pacing while his missus is inside choosing knickers. He's going to cross... no he's not, he's going to cross... no he's not, he's definitely going to cross this time... no he's not.
Worst offenders are to be found in Hampstead.
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>> And another thing. Swimming pools.
Lane markings are fascist mind control, Humph. Surely you'd realised that by now? ;-)
Baulking proper swimmers is for amateurs, though. The mark of the seasoned sociopath is to look on benevolently as your grubby offspring leaps into the water, right onto the head of the 6'6", 17st swimmer doing a reasonably vigorous front crawl up the lane provided for the purpose.
I was not impressed.
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"leaps into the water, right onto the head"
This happened to a guy my mam worked for. Somebody dived in and landed on his shoulder causing a huge amount of damage. For a few years his arm was pinned in a fixed position by his side, bent at the elbow so that he could still serve in his shop. Eventually after a lot of aggravation and further complications he opted to have it amputated.
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Fortunately in my case it was a child of about 6, slightly built, and my spidey-sense had given me an inkling that this was about to happen, so I was halfway to the bottom before impact - which was thus less than it could have been. Plus as noted there's a fair amount of me to bounce off.
Things that got me were:
1) Pool almost empty, so plenty of other places to jump in without the risk of maiming someone
2) Gormless, passive-aggressive look from parent, of the "well you shouldent of bin there" variety. Eh?? I'm swimming, your kid's messing about and in a way that is more likely than not to end up injuring someone. SORT IT OUT.
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You should have drowned him like a crocodile does.
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>> You should have drowned him like a crocodile does.
>>
Trouble is, that sort of thing results in Paperwork.
I hate that.
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Paul's right. You have to take revenge much more subtly. One of the best methods is to wait until you are on the return lap after the offence and better still, if patience allows, to wait until the two events can no longer be reasonably connected. If not already swimming front crawl, switch to that and time your downstroke to ensure that the heel of your hand connects sharply with the ear of the erstwhile offender. You can of course at this point feign an apology as well if it becomes necessary to stop but usually you can carry on without breaking pace.
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Mon 11 Oct 10 at 16:18
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>> This happened to a guy my mam worked for. Somebody dived in and landed on
>> his shoulder causing a huge amount of damage. For a few years his arm was
>> pinned in a fixed position by his side, bent at the elbow so that he
>> could still serve in his shop. Eventually after a lot of aggravation and further complications
>> he opted to have it amputated.
What a dreadful thing to happen.
When I was swimming one time I had someone's sprog land on my head from (I'm guessing as I didn't see them) a fair old height. Probably doing water bombs, I don't know. I was concussed and swallowed a lot of water but made it out of the pool under my own steam. It was in the segregated "Sport Swimmers only" part of the pool and I didn't even get an apology.
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>> Most swimming pools have lanes marked in them
Like "bus lanes", the hours of operation vary. Most swimming pools have periods when lane swimming is enforced, and other times where it's a free-for-all, ond other times when it's "Family Fun Time", and all sorts of rafts and and stuff are chucked in for people to play with.
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I used to regularly parallel park double decker buses when I worked in London. Tight up against a brick wall too, at Bromley North station.
I always reverse into parking spaces in supermarket car parks - I'd rather carry the bags to the back of the car than try to reverse out. I also always back into our drive too as it's techincally illegal to reverse from your drive onto a road. Plus our road gets a lot of parked cars so it's a darned sight easier to drive out forwards than it is to reverse out.
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>> I always reverse into parking spaces in supermarket car parks - I'd rather carry the
>> bags to the back of the car than try to reverse out.
Common sense, having sat seemingly forever waiting whilst those unable to reverse shuffle endlessly getting nowhere you are in a fast disappearing minority BW.
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A friend is so convinced that you should always reverse into a house drive that she does it when she visits us despite the fact that we have a turning area.
In any case, I would have thought that you were more at the mercy of passing traffic if you were reversing in than reversing out. When reversing out you have the whole width of the road in which to manoeuvre.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Tue 12 Oct 10 at 07:27
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>> In any case, I would have thought that you were more at the mercy of
>> passing traffic if you were reversing in than reversing out. When reversing out you have
>> the whole width of the road in which to manoeuvre.
Not really - I live on a road which connects two fairly main roads. It is, however, fairly quiet for most of the day meaning that I can use the whole of the road when I reverse in. Occasionally I have vehicles parked on either side of my dropped kerb which makes reversing out not only difficult but also downright dangerous and, should an accident occur while I was trying to reverse out, I would be held responsible. So, I back in to my drive.
On a slight tangent, have the rest of the 'large vehicle' drivers on here stopped using their windscreen mounted rear-view mirror when reversing? I only ever use the external mirrors, as I am so used to using these at work.
Last edited by: Badwolf on Tue 12 Oct 10 at 10:58
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I've disagreed with L'Es on this before and I still do. When you're reversing out, you have only the width of the gap to manoeuvre in because that's where your front wheels are. Reversing in, the steering wheels are in clear space so you have much more freedom to position the vehicle safely and accurately. All the more important if, as some posts here suggest, you're relying on mirrors and not turning to look directly where you're going.
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>> I've disagreed with L'Es on this before and I still do.
My reasoning is based on the length of time you're likely to be on the road manoeuvring into or out of your drive. If you reverse out the car will generally start off lined up with the side boundary of your property and the gateway before you start moving, so you should be able to go straight out onto the road and immediately turn towards the direction in which you want to go. If you reverse into your drive it might take more than one go to get your car lined up with the gateway and the adjacent side border of your property. So you'll be a greater time on the road manoeuvring.
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My drive also requires me to reverse in. Quiet cul de sac but the layout means its much easier to pass my drive then do a reverse 'wiggle' to get back in and worry about the tight 180 on exit.
I can carry out the manoeuvre leaning out of the drivers window of the Xantia and judging distance by SWMBO's car or the markings on the drive. Miss B is far too slight to manage that but has the move to perfection using the nearside mirror dipped down and following the edge of the lawn.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Tue 12 Oct 10 at 11:15
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>> On a slight tangent, have the rest of the 'large vehicle' drivers on here stopped
>> using their windscreen mounted rear-view mirror when reversing? I only ever use the external mirrors,
>> as I am so used to using these at work.
>>
Yes and i'll go one further, i don't open the drivers window but open the door and lean out slightly for reversing in on the right hand side, anyone guess why many old truck drivers do that.
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anyone guess why many old truck drivers do that.
So you can hear the screams of anyone you are reversing over or are about to ?
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>> So you can hear the screams of anyone you are reversing over or are about
>> to ?
>>
Spot on Hump it really works too, not just for human sounds though that's obviously the one you dread and Heaven forbid.
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>> I was sat in my car in a car park this morning waiting for an
>> elderly gent to park
Many, if not most, who psot here fit the description of "elderly", if not the latter.
To assist people who are having trouble parking, one idea is to stand and watch them (make no attempt to help, just watch carefully). Make sure, subtly, that they *know* they're being watched (you could stop abruptly in the middle of the pavement and turn 'round to look straight at them). They'll then bog it up so badly that they'll eventually push off somewhere there's enough space for them to park reasonably easily (a completely empty section of road or car park). This seems to work very well with "mummies" in the High Street who would otherwise park 3' off the kerb in the middle of a space suitable for a double-decker bus.
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One of the worst car parks I have experienced was this summer down Cornwall way. We decided to cycle the Camel Trail and took the car, pus 4 bikes on the roof, to the start at (I think) Padstow.
Big huge carpark at the front, next to the train station and next to the start of the Trail with numerous bike hire shops. Not only were the spaces extremely narrow, but the gap between each line of parking was so narrow that it was a real struggle to get a turning circle in, either frongt or reverse. I ended up driving over a kerb rather than try and negotiate a 98 point turn.
Try getting 4 bikes off the roof of a Seat Altea when there is very limited room at each side!
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>> Many, if not most, who Post here fit the description of "elderly",>>
I have been getting my state pension for less than a year, I am just a baby pensioner.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 13 Oct 10 at 09:06
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>> Many, if not most, who psot here fit the description of "elderly", if not the
>> latter.
I might be getting on a bit, but I definitely don't psot here! I post, but never psot!
;-)
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>> I might be getting on a bit, but I definitely don't psot here! I post,
>> but never psot!
>>
I sometimes "psot" under a pseudonym, especially in a P.S.
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Parking skills - Chris S
