To leave a gap when parking

[BelleMarionette]

I got a note on my car this morning: 'You took up two spaces with your car.. so inconsiderate. RETAKE YOUR TEST'

I assume it was from yesterday, when I had to park on a residential street, because my work has stopped issuing parking permits to staff, as no capacity. Even if they were available, they are prohibitevely expensive at about £100/month.

It was an unrestricted street for parking, with plenty of spaces available. I parked leaving 2-3ft from the car next to me, to allow space for them to pull out. I have previously had abuse from a neighbour for parking 'too near' their car, even though there was a gap, so I am aware about leaving space, should drivers not be confident.

Aibu for leaving a gap when parking on the street? Obviously different if bay parking, and I would never take up two bays.

@TravellingJack (which exceeded the driveways in width by quite a stretch on this street, before anyone has a go about needing visibility when pulling out!)

Ah, absolutely - our dropped kerbs serve two adjacent driveways each time so are wide enough to get on and off even with people parked up to the edge of the drop. It’s like so many things, the system works perfectly until someone ignores it and then it’s chaos!

Just be considerate. It's really not hard.

This. I always leave a decent gap after the day I returned to my car to find one behind and one in front about two inches from each end of it. It took me a good ten minutes to extract the car and without a reversing camera and parking sensors - which were activated and beeped the moment I turned on the ignition - I’d never have got out. I have no idea which car was driven by an arsehole, possibly both, but it never occurred to me to leave notes. Some people have tiny little lives.

I'm curious about the number of people who know exactly how much space is enough, without knowing anything about

a) the turning circle of the vehicle
b) the physique and hence the sightlines of the driver
c) the possible need to get bulky equipment out of the boot.

When I lived in town I drove a Fiesta and could get it in and out of anywhere. Now I live in a village and have a lifestyle that the Fiesta couldn't cope with. I changed to a bigger car with on-demand 4WD, which seriously compromises its turning circle. I still have to visit town occasionally though, if only to take my DH to medical appointments in the wheelchair we keep in the boot.

I try (as I have always done) not to take more space than I need and I don't see how anyone else can judge how much that actually is.

2ft ok but 3 ft is excessive and clearly means another car can't get in ahead of you. Next time leave 2 ft.

It doesn't clearly mean anything of the sort on an unrestricted street for parking, with plenty of spaces available

"Also, the people saying they need space to manoeuvre - do you realise you can turn your car wheels while stationary? You can get out of a pretty small space if you turn your steering wheel and get your wheels positioned better before you start moving... I remember my driving instructor teaching me this many years ago!"

Patronising and completely unnecessary comment.

There is a roadside space outside our school where you can just fit two cars between the end of some double yellow lines and the first dropped kerb.

The amount of people who park in the middle of the space is ridiculous. We are short enough of places to park as it is. Why do some people feel the entitlement to take up both of the closest spaces to school?

It's not even a case of needing to leave room to get out, because it's yellow lines in front or dropped kerb behind, so always space to reverse or go forward.

It's just inconsiderate parking and I have lost respect for people who do it anywhere.

I'd be happy with 2ft, 3 is generous.
My local large village has limited free on street parking near the shops so it shouldn't be wasted. It's mostly long bays, not subdivided with plenty of room beyond the bays to allow access to the private parking behind the shops.
Despite this, people frequently park their car 4 feet from the end of the bay, which is such a waste.

I once came back to find someone had parked 6 inches from my front bumper and left 4 feet of empty bay in front of them! Luckily he came back a few minutes after me and looked suitably apologetic when I pointed out I couldn't get out.

And (obviously) you can't turn the wheels to 90°.

When I was a kid, DF parked on a road and got completely boxed in by ludicrously close parkers fore and aft. Fortunately a group of large young men came by, noticed our problem and bodily lifted the car sideways. Maybe that's the solution, roaming rugby teams.

2ft is fine, they’re being weird. I literally couldn’t get my car out yesterday because the cars in front and behind both parked two inches off my bumpers. Me and my Mum had to go knocking doors to find the owners!

This is what I was coming on to say.
Unless the note writer is parading around being The Parking Monitor, then no one knows how much space was in front of or behind your car when you parked.

There’s a car on my street that has a sticker on the back windscreen saying wheelchair, please don’t park too close (or something along those lines), they also have a dedicated disabled spot which is quite roomy. But it could be worth looking into the sticker if you’re worried about people parking too close in town? Only a complete arse would ignore that!

Then turning circle of the vehicle is just something you have to work with. Some cars may get out of a space in 3 manoeuvres and others might require 5. No idea what the physique of the driver has to do with anything since power steering became a thing. Even if you don’t have sensors, the seat and mirrors are adjustable, and you just take your time and do as many manoeuvres as you feel is necessary, it’s not a round golf!

2-3 foot is not a big gap!!!! What are you people on? 1 foot leaves absolutely no room for maneuver, 2 barely. Imagine if every car in a row parked 12 inches behind the car in front. No one could move.

Unless you have parked in a way that 2 cars could have easily parked and you are being entirely truthful, no way are you being unreasonable.

And unless it is a private road and you are not blocking driveways you have every bit as much right to park on the road as the residents and they do not get to make up the rules.

2-3 ft? I used to live on a street with a lack of parking and 20-30cm was fair game especially if there was a little more space the other end. And yes, you can get out with 20cm or so either end. It takes a little more than a 3 point turn, but its doable. Also more often as not some other car moves so changes the situation. in summary, a foot is plenty to leave even if it’s fairly tight the other end.

As I said in the OP, there was loads of parking available. I didn't block any dropped kerbs either, and it wasn't a private road.

It's interesting that there is a mix of responses. If I parked too near another car then I would annoy those who cannot maneuver easily. It seems like a no win scenario. 🙄

I wonder if the note writer spends all day twitching their curtains, looking for something to get outraged about.

In answer to those annoyed about people parking on 'their' streets, these aren't owned by you. I would rather park at work than walk 15 minutes in, but given it's not available or affordable, I have no option. (Thank you NHS)

This!
I live beside the local (community) hospital and if I leave on a busy clinic day there's always some inconsiderate person or 2 parked terribly and then I have to park differently which had a knock-on effect on all the neighbours. It's infuriating!

Have this on our street one side parking, no marked bays.

I don't think there's a solution. If a big long car comes in and parks neatly, say a Volvo estate, and everyone else parks neatly, then the Volvo leaves .... there's just a gap for a big car not two small ones. Ditto the poor sodding workmen who have to find a space to park a van to do essential repairs.

IMHO a foot either end is fine for parking. It takes manoeuvring especially if you don't get it right first time and have traffic banked up behind you.

We came home at night to find our neighbours had left such ridiculously large gaps around our other car we were able to move it up and park the one we were in.

Leave a note in your windscreen

If I leave a gap for the cars each side to get out - its wrong
If I squeeze up tight as to not take up two spaces - its wrong
Its wrong to leave notes on peoples cars - its called harassment
camera is watching you...smile

Where is the diagram OP?

Buy or rent a house with parking then?

You have no more right to the space than anyone else.

My busy residential street is about 1ft infront and behind. If someone left a 3 ft gap it would knock the whole system out of place 😂

2 - 3 ft is around 60 - 90cm. That doesn’t sound like an excessively large gap to me? That’s the usual sort of gap I see with parked cars in my area.

My driving instructor advised parking so I can see all of the wheels of the car in front, so you can still get out if someone parks an inch off your bumper. That’s more in the 2-3ft region than the 1 ft region.

Our road also has houses with drives and those without. Between most driveways is a kerb length space which can fit 2 cars IF people park close to the driveway (no need to bloating anyone’s dropped kerb or make access difficult)

I understand that visitors arriving might park in the middle and effectively take 2 spaces. It’s annoying, but perhaps they do t notice that there is very limited parking or can’t see that 2 cars will fit.

But it’s really annoying, when resident who do know how difficult it is, choose to park in the middle of space that could fit 2 cars. Everyone without a drive and others too will have had trouble getting a space at one time or another…..so why hog 2 spits when you know??

Lots if residential streets don’t have much off street parking and parking is at a premium. You can usually see that people park close to each other and there aren’t lots of spaces. If in those circumstances you’re lucky enough to find a big space that could fit more than one car, you park so that someone coming after you can get parked. Otherwise it is clueless at best and knowingly selfish at worst.