To think if you drive a massive wide car you have to accept parking issues in narrow spaces...

[Botanicum]

Often when I arrive at swimming there’s only one or two spaces left in the small car park outside (more spaces in a larger car park the other side of the small carpark and round a building).

I take whatever space is left, and it’s often between two huge tank-like 4x4 cars. I have a small car and I’m small so I can get out without contact. I can see that it’d not be so easy easy with the higher car... but then I don’t feel like Parking further away when there’s a space I can use. Especially if the owner has chosen to risk parking their wide car in a small carpark with narrow spaces. I think it’s inevitable someone will park next to you when it’s busy.

Today a woman was there when I got back and had a right rant she couldn’t get it from how I’d parked (a straight park equal distance from cars either side in the only available space). She reckons I should park in the next car park if I can see I would make it difficult for car next to me entirely filling their spaces. My view is if you chose such a big car, and you aren’t one to squeeze, you should go in the emptier carpark further away. I ignored her pretty much, got in easily and quickly and drove off.

What would you do? Park in the available space? Or park in the next carpark over?

Completely agree with you

If you are parked correctly inside the white lines as youve said then it is her fault.

I drive a big car and would park else where if I thought I'd have issues.

YANBU, if there was a space, you park in it.

But it's horrible reversing out of a space when two huge cars are either side and you can't see a thing, so I would reverse in if poss.

Park in the available space. As long as you're within the lines there's no issue.

YANBU. She's an entitles arsehole.

It would depend on if I could see if they had car seats in the back plus if I had the children in my car.

If it looked like someone was going to be trying to wrestle children in I would probably park elsewhere just so my car didn't get dinted.

I've taken to carrying one of my children's old cheap puffa jacket type things in the car with me to provide a cushion between my door and the next car when I'm putting children in the back, very effective.

I'd park in the available space as long as I didn't think some the drivers of the cars on either side would open their car door onto mine. I don't park next to 2-door cars, tall SUVs with child seats or cars which are wrecks where the driver may not care about opening their doors onto our car.

Yanbu. I'd have told her if she struggles to get into her car when another one is parked within the lines, she should be the one to park further away. She had the issue, not you.

I've noticed a lot of people with big cars will park further to their passenger side line, to avoid the driver not being able to get in

You were totally in the right (and I too have a big car and would naturally just park in the bigger car park, daft driver!).

If you're in the lines, you're fine. If you have a giant car, you need to accept it's not going to fit everywhere and that's not someone else's fault

I’m in the lines, reversed parked. Dead centre of my space.

Absolutely agree with you, and I drive the revolting SUV. I am more than happy to park further away so I can park where I feel comfortable getting in and out.

She’s being ridiculous. I drive a very wide car (not SUV) and often choose my parking space carefully to avoid this situation, even if it means parking further away and walking.

Yanbu op! It's their choice to drive their enormous cars. I live in a London suburb on a really narrow road, with tiny parking spaces. The amount of people that have massive range rovers etc is unbelievable. Its hilarious watching them trying to park, I think they just have to accept any difficulties they have. That's the price you pay for driving what they clearly see as a status symbol.

People driving those enormous vehicles just have to try to fit in, I think. Or they could try moving to the US where the parking bays apporoach the size of building plots.

I would have laughed at her. C.f.

YANBU. Her behaviour is not your problem. I have a large car and avoid the situation you describe by parking at the far side of a car park or in an end space in a row.

I’m with you too.

YANBU. I drive a Landover and park at the back of carparks to increase likelyhood of having at least one side empty to get the kids into when I return.

I was a bit miffed to watch someone in an even bigger Range Rover carefully manoeuvring into the space next to mine despite there being 20 others free around it as I returned to the car with the children.

She chose a large car. Parking it is her problem.

The world doesn't have to cater to entitled people. The ones who annoy me are large cars in our local supermarket with smaller bays and a not massive car park. They seem to think that parking over the lines to try claiming two spaces is acceptable. 🙄

There was a thread about SUVs recently and I mentioned how annoying it is when they park over the lines, but as the owner of a small car I am glad that it is usually only me that can fit in the tiny space they leave.

Someone said they should make parking spaces bigger to accommodate this. I strongly disagree. In most town centres, parking is at a premium anyway. Why should there be fewer spaces for all of us just because some people choose to buy unnecessarily large cars.

Car park spaces in the UK still have the dimensions they had way back in the 70s when all vehicles were narrower, including cars.

You are all victims of failure to keep up on the part of car park designers and safety administrators.

Of course yanbu.
What a twat she was telling you where and how to park.

I had to climb in over my back seats the other day I'd reverse parked so luckily there was access to the back of the car! Dead centre in my space, a massive SUV on either side, one of whom had gone in forwards, the other backwards, and both pulled right up to the line on their passenger side. I couldn't get any of the doors open!