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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Would you park like this?

167 replies

Wertie · 15/07/2023 18:36

Second time I’ve had a disagreement at my local station. The spaces are narrow and the carpark is very very popular. Gold dust spaces, but Tbf there is a carpark 4 min walk away that’s bigger. The station one is pokey car park not really suitable for many modern cars.

On a number of occasions I’ve found very large 4x4 cars right up to the white lines. I have an old low car, thin doors. I’m slim. I can park between two of them and get out without touching their car with my doors. It’s a squeeze, but no contact at all.

Im guessing their thick doors and higher doors make this difficult, particularly if they aren’t petite. As it’s not a disabled space I’m restricting (there are wide separate spaces the other side for disabled drivers) I just park if I can park, and don’t concern myself with other cars. If I can fit, I’m in my own space I see it as fair play.

Twice I’ve come back to moody car owners of the huge cars.

My view is if their car is huge/ they struggle to get in then they should use the half empty nearby car park as it has wider spaces and you can park at the back without neighbours. I don’t see why I should walk it, if I have no needs for extra space.

Ive just had a really screamy outraged woman shouting I should consider the space taken if I’m blocking access.

I’m maybe an arsehole, as I laughed it off. But do others agree? Do this?

OP posts:
SinnerBoy · 18/07/2023 07:39

Wertie · Yesterday 20:46

‘Mindless frothing’ is only ever used to belittle women. It is not used towards men.

I used to be on another forum and it definitely was used towards men as well. It means "frothing at the mouth like a lunatic."

Plymsoul · 18/07/2023 09:14

Ghastisflabbered · 17/07/2023 23:13

What if someone else pulls into the last fictitious tiny space between two 4x4 at 6.15am?

Well then it’s out of the op’s hands isn’t it, but it isn’t a reason to inconvenience herself if there IS a space available.

Wertie · 18/07/2023 09:18

DiscoDeborah · 17/07/2023 21:38

You pulled me up but you were wrong. I'm not a misogynist. Again that's the only part of that post you responded to.

It’s the annoying bit

OP posts:
Wertie · 18/07/2023 09:20

Plymsoul · 17/07/2023 20:15

What if she can’t leave earlier?

Tbf my post was in the evening, because it happened in the evening.
Like everyone else I parked at a non-pressured time in the most convenient space to me personally

OP posts:
Nanny0gg · 18/07/2023 09:20

grass321 · 16/07/2023 14:49

But I think you do care about the size of the car if you're saying it's our fault for driving a wider car?

Would I be pissed off if you parked second and I couldn't get into my car? Yes, I would (I'm also pretty slim and able to squeeze through gaps where possible).

As I've said, I'd usually be in an emptier part of the car park for that reason. But if that's not possible, I'd hope not to be blocked in by another driver.

When I'm in a smaller car, I extend the same courtesy to larger cars if they're already parked. If they couldn't physically get into their car, I'd park elsewhere.

But if there is a space next to you in a carpark then you have to assume it's going to be used. If that will be a problem for you then you have to park somewhere else.

Wertie · 18/07/2023 09:26

It’s actually free in the evenings and weekends, no horrible money grabbing. Just an old station carpark that’s not been updated. The nearby carpark is free evenings and weekends, and even cheaper in the day. Parking on street after 3pm is free, there’s so many options other than squeezing a large car into a tiny space. I just presume to knowing park in a tiny space with a massive car you could anticipate the issue. I parked centrally, I’d get over myself and not care if someone parked even closer and I had to go through the boot (I’ve done it before, it’s easy for me). I don’t care if anyone else parks anywhere, therefore I am happy to use the silly small space 🤷‍♀️

OP posts:
Wertie · 18/07/2023 09:28

Ghastisflabbered · 17/07/2023 23:15

Well the OP has described herself the difficulty she has in getting out of the car in the space she chooses to park in.

I don’t really understand why she’s inconveniencing herself like that when she’s also admitted there are easier places to park.

So really the only reason she’s doing it is because she wants to - in which case surely it’s unreasonable to moan about it?

um, I haven’t moaned about the parking.
I’ve moaned about a shouty woman with a sense of entitlement.
Me, I’d park and climb out the boot and not care less. So what. Obviously I didn’t climb out the boot, I slid out quite normally, but if someone parked so I had to I’d not particularly care much. It’s happened, life went on and it took seconds

OP posts:
Wertie · 18/07/2023 09:31

SinnerBoy · 18/07/2023 07:39

Wertie · Yesterday 20:46

‘Mindless frothing’ is only ever used to belittle women. It is not used towards men.

I used to be on another forum and it definitely was used towards men as well. It means "frothing at the mouth like a lunatic."

I once heard a man called Karen… to follow on from that logic

OP posts:
OrwellianTimes · 18/07/2023 09:34

YANBU. I have a large car I need for work (frequently drive off road) and I hate parking it compared to all my previous cars. It’s just so wide. I actively park the far side of car parks so I’ll have more room.

ThreeFeetTall · 18/07/2023 09:37

YANBU! I would have told her that she should look into getting a car that better suits what she needs to use it for. These big cars don't fit our infrastructure 🤷‍♀️

SinnerBoy · 18/07/2023 09:37

Wertie · Today 09:31

I once heard a man called Karen… to follow on from that logic

That's a bit bonkers.

Wertie · 18/07/2023 09:51

SinnerBoy · 18/07/2023 09:37

Wertie · Today 09:31

I once heard a man called Karen… to follow on from that logic

That's a bit bonkers.

Well done!

OP posts:
DiscoDeborah · 18/07/2023 10:19

@Wertie your fixation on those two words is weird to me but crack on I guess. I'm sure you feel you've achieved some kind of 'gotcha' but you really haven't.

DiscoDeborah · 18/07/2023 10:20

I don't know if this is common but I have a fixed dog guard across my boot so without tools and quite a lot of time, I don't have the option to go in that way.

It's annoying as there are times I'd like to remove it but it's such a faff.

justrude · 18/07/2023 11:59

I have a large car (because I have a large family, otherwise we use our cargo bikes) and there are some places that I just refuse to drive to, because of parking.

Dixiechickonhols · 18/07/2023 12:05

Yes I do it’s surely a perk of driving a small car. As long as you are in your space it’s fine. I often do it on work car park and station car park never had a comment.

Elphame · 18/07/2023 12:25

I've been blocked in by drivers of big cars many times. In the past I used to be able to open the door just wide enough for my arm and release the roof mechanism to allow me to climb in from the back ( I was a lot younger then, couldn't do it now) or over from the passenger side ( not possible with the roof up, there isn't the headroom to get over the centre consol).

With the electric roof I'm often stuck until the offender returns. Luckily I also only need a few inches to shimmy in but many drivers of these tanks don't leave me even that.

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