Not just a parking one but a school parking one and with 4WD thrown in

[DesertParkingWars]

Ok came back to my car today to find a note (to be fair politely) asking me to pull forward to allow another car to park behind me.

I obviously don't think I'm parking wrong but would welcome opinions in case I am.

Background is that this is parking at a school. Up until this September parents were allowed to park in the school parking lot which involved very minimal walking for our little darlings. I never parked there as I don't like reversing around children if at all possible (big car, small children). I parked outside the gates instead (marked parking spaces).

This year they've decided parents can't use the formal school car park for whatever reason and have built a new one that's pretty big (over a hundred spaces). I don't park there for the same reason I never used the school one in the first place.

Instead I tend to park as indicated on the picture. If that space isn't free I'll patk further to the right. I prefer not to do this because one of the car seats blocks visibility a bit on this maneuver and I keep forgetting to move it when I get in the car.

I never have an issue getting a space, there a lots of spaces but sometimes they involve a 2 minutes walk to the school gate.

However, when I park car B isn't usually there. This is one big space, not individually marked out. I tend to park at the back as otherwise I'm worried about being blocked in. However, I have to admit I've been leaving about half a metre between my rear wheels and the white line demarking the end of the 'big' space. I could be further back and still officially in the space.

The note leaver (I suspect car C as they seem to think they have a right to park blocking the road) thinks I should pull forwards so that there's a space behind me.

Now, if you ignore the white lines, there is possibly just about space for four cars (depending on size of cars, most people here drive humongous cars and car C is a Nissan Patrol). But, I think that (a) we'd have to ignore the lines marking out the parking space; (b) I suspect one car will end up blocked in; (c) unless cars arrive and leave in the right order someone is going to have to parallel park which would hold up the stream of traffic; and (d) there is no shortage of fucking parking spaces, just this one is marginally closer to the school gate.

So, my AIBU. WIBU to park at the back of the space so that my wheels are touching the white line (this won't allow enough space for an extra car and probably will prevent C parking at all). Or should I be parking in car B's spot and hope no one blocks me in? Alternatively, should I just ignore the parking wars and park slightly further up and not get involved?

I think you should use the car park and reverse into your space.

I would have thought that if you hate reversing out of a space with other of children around, reversing INTO a space when there are very few around is kinda obvious

If you aren't going to get ticketed I would pull as far back in the bay as possible, over the white line.

In the UK I would only pull back as far as the white line.

I'm amazed that people have their 'own' spaces.

First up best dressed.

Why is the OP being told to park in the car park rather than a proper legal marked space on the road. What is the difference? The person being a twat is the one who wants to park outside of a marked bay (or would be in the U.K.)

It irritates me to death when people use car parking spaces badly, I. e leave a big gap at the end of the bay.

It isn't your concern if someone else chooses to parallel park into the space. And how you are driving safely anywhere at all if you can't see or manage to park when your car seat is in, I don't know. Do you not have wing mirrors?

All your parking decisions are based around your own inability to get in and out of spaces.

Use the space efficiently or park further away.

It is definitely a thread about people in big cars getting pissy when they can't park where they want!

I'll just park 20m further up and cope with the massive expedition to the school gate for there (will make sure we're well stocked up on provisions). This is quicker than parking in the new carpark and pretty hard to offend someone parking there. No kids wandering around behind cars there so no risk of hitting one and I can just remember to move the car seat.

I think the reason reversing into the new car park didn't occur to me is that I have to drive past this parking bay to get there so I just park in the more convenient closer spot. I hadn't realised until the note I was annoying someone so much by doing so so hadn't considered my options. If it matters so much to someone to park closer that they need to resort to notes they can have the space and someone else will almost certainly get it first

I get where you're coming from - and used to do the same sometimes - winding my way through a carpark full of kids going into school/parents coming back was more hassle than just parking a little bit up the road and walking for 2 mins (I was in a big car though - a pick up truck to be exact, although with all the reversing cameras n stuff so I wasn't worried about hitting anyone, it was just slower to get out of the car park than walk)

In your position I'd just park in the spaces a bit further up, and let the parking wars go on without you, it's just not worth mucking about with for 30 seconds further walking.

Seems to me like the real problem is that C wants to park illegally over the edge of a space that isn't big enough for their large car and they want you to make it as easy as possible for them to do so. I would park as close as possible to the white lines so that there's theoretically space for a fourth, smaller car to parallel park in the gap (if the note leaver is in fact not C). But if the note leaver is C, then nothing you can do is going to make enough space for them. C just needs to get there earlier, which is their problem, not yours.

The issue is the car seat blocks the back of the rear side window (the small triangular one). It's only an issue when reversing out of one of those diagonal drive in spots (and I can just move it). It doesn't prevent reversing at all just reduces visibility a bit.

It isn't your concern if someone else chooses to parallel park into the space
This

Use the space efficiently or park further away
This. I hate it when people park so others can't.

The person being a twat is the one who wants to park outside of a marked bay (or would be in the U.K.)
There is a long bay that can fit multiple cars.
The OP could move her car to thr back of the bay near the white line (instead of leaving a chunk of space that nobody can use) or she could pull forwards closer to the car in front allowing someone to park behind.

The person being a pain is the OP for parking in a way that means only her large car can be parked in a space big enougg for 2.

This really is the most ‘non-issue’ thread I’ve ever read.

Dunno, I'm imagining this the non-uk places I've lived, and the number of people who'd rather spend 2 minutes squeezing into a tiny parallel parking spot (they are awesome parkers in the last country I lived in) rather than drive 30 seconds up the road and walk the 2 mins (and yes, it's hot, but not that bad).

Personally I find it annoying and would prefer to drive straight in/out than have to rock back and forth because people insist on tight parallel parking (and that's whether I'm in the truck or our fiesta), as long as there's free space close, just use the bloody free space rather than all huddle together for want of 20meters walk.

Agreed that it's a non issue.
Most UK schools and parents would love to have such an embarrassment of choice of parking spaces within a couple of minutes walk of the classroom

The person being a pain is the OP for parking in a way that means only her large car can be parked in a space big enougg for 2.

There is no actual space for an extra car within the marked lines of the bay.

Then don't read it someone?

The marked bay is only big enough for three. A is parking at the front. I am parking at the back (but could move 0.5m further back and still be within the lines). Car B then has loads of space to park. Car C thinks it should be a four car bay. If I pull back it would be very very tight to get a car in between me and B but possible I suppose if B and extra car are unusually small for the area (as in Nissan micro sized, which I've not seen here). If I pull forward and cars park outside the lines there is space for a fourth car (easily if car A parked outside as well but it doesn't). I could also park in space B but I suspect I would end up with a car right behind me and car A is there a while. I'd prefer not to risk being blocked in (even if others think it's reasonable for me to hang around for 10 mins to save other people having to walk 20m) as I can't trust I'll maintain my temper with the car blocking me so will park further away. Will consider the car park but probably just easier to park on the right.

If car park is genuinely unsafe to use because parents are not supervising their DCs properly then you need to raise that issue with the school, so they can get in sa parking attendant or volunteers for a few weeks and send off emails to parents so they control the DCs better.

yabu
park in the school car park that was put there for your convenience.
and maybe get a few driving lessons on reversing out of car parks.

I am not a fan of people driving to school, but since you all are, I think it's perfectly reasonable for you to use a parking space in the manner that you have. The person asking you to ignore the properly-delineated parking space is in the wrong. (And is a bit off writing you a note rather than talking to you in person.)

No strong opinions on the parking, but you've seen THREE accidents with small children in 6 months in the school car park? What is the school doing about that? (Totally agree its parents responsibility but I couldn't in good conscience work at a school with this statistic that didn't regard this as unacceptable and have to do something!

Accidents I've seen haven't been with children but between cars. No children harmed.

I suspect school's solution to free range children is new carpark as majority of the worst offenders are the families with drivers/maids and those kids are now getting dropped at the gate and then the drivers park outside/ in the car park. New car park might be fine now but I don't want to risk it when I drive past other spaces on the way to it. It worries me too but I haven't seen a school in this part of the world that doesn't have this issue - there's a very different attitude to supervision of children and risk (and maybe I'm overly cautious the other way, who knows). Spaghetti is definitely talking about the same region.

Your diagram looks remarkably like a Dubai school my DP worked in, so do the problems you describe! People drive massive 4x4s to protect their own DCs without a thought to anyone else, my DP was purposely driven at several times when he was on car park duty and paused cars to allow children to cross the car park!

I assume that they new car park was built for safety-car parks are very expensive to build and are not built on a whim.

So use it. You are not a precious snowflake exception.

The note leaver is barking though. How do they know a car hasn't had to park in a certain way because of other badly executed parking?
You should be able to reverse into a space if you have a licence.

Lolly - right country wrong emirate. Same issues!

I can reverse into a space but I don't see why I should drive past other lawful spaces just so I can reverse into one at the back of the car park? I can't reverse into the diagonal ones outside - they're facing the wrong direction. The school have said we can park in the spaces outside or in the new car park. We just can't park inside the school gates. It's all dedicated school parking. School is in the middle of nowhere, no one else would park anywhere around except to access the school. Closest neighbours are a camel farm about 200-300m before the school and I think the camels wouldn't worry too much about parking spaces if they wanted to visit!

What's wrong with the spaces outside? I'll avoid this big bay because it's clearly a parking wars situation I don't want to get into but I can't see what's wrong with the dedicated spaces on the right in the diagram?