Leaving a parking space because someone else wants it

[Allisnotlost1]

I left the gym this morning about 8.15 and, as I did, saw someone arrive and drive the wrong way around the car park. It’s not huge but there’s an overflow which adds about 15-20 steps onto the walk back to the building. There’s also a second overflow which would add about 60 seconds.

I sat in my car to send a difficult emails - to do with bereavement - and I did this there so I could leave it behind and come home and focus on the day. It would have taken about 5 or 6 minutes.

So I start dealing with it and the wrong way driver an older lady, just for visualisation purposes, knocks on my window and asks me if I’m leaving. Yes, I say, it not for about 5 minutes. She asks me to ‘just pull out and wait somewhere’. I say I can’t, because you’ve driven the wrong way around the car park and now you’re blocking the exit. She insists she isn’t and she ‘needs’ the space because the car park is full. She hasn’t been to the overflow.

I look at her gobsmacked, but then ask where is it she expects me to go, and she then gets flustered and says don’t worry about. Ok I say, closing my door. When I left, there were a couple of empty spaces but by then she’d parked on the grass verge on the exit road.

AIBU?

YANBU - she should have used the overflow/s or driven around a bit like anyone else.

YABU - immediately leaving the car park at busy times is just the right thing to do.

To be honest, I would have said I am not leaving to avoid having anyone on my back. I have 3 kids and it takes ages to put them in and out and when someone asks are leaving I always say no just because I don’t want to feel the pressure of doing something.

Your gym parking is very similar to mine with full car parks at busy times & over flows. I often sit in my car checking work emails, messages after I leave the gym. The only time I won’t is if it’s a peak time & people are waiting to get in a parking space. At that time I always drive out the car park quickly so someone else can take my space. I appreciate they may be rushing to a class & I can do any work/respond to messages on my drive after I get home. If a message needs an urgent reply I would still pull out the space to give it to someone & pull over on the grass verge by the exit. The only time I wouldn’t is if someone drove the incorrect way around the car park to beat others to a space. This happens frequently in my gym despite the markings showing the correct way. If this was the case I would point out they have driven the incorrect way & sit in my car til someone else arrived that had driven the correct way!!!

Give it a rest @HelplessSoul

There's nothing wrong with my reading comprehension, you're just talking out of your backside.

Give it a rest?

It was you who responded to my post - not me to yours.

Perhaps fact check yourself once in a while. Like I said....reading comprehension.

I don’t see what’s wrong with getting in your car after the gym and having a 5 min break to answer / write emails. Sometimes it’s the only peace available before having to go home and be harassed by all. You were in the space first.
I don’t agree you should have moved. The belong to the gym and the car park space is usually limited to say 2 hours then if you want to use that it’s fine surely. You may have sat in the café after and done emails whilst your car remained parked. The car park is part of the facility you are using. If she came in the wrong way and had other options then surely this is a non issue and you are overthinking it. Enjoy the space - it sounds like you needed it aswell

I wouldn’t give it anymore thought. Ignore others. And this woman

Bloody hell op…. If it’s not your neighbours, it’s parking wars. You poor thing! @Allisnotlost1

Thanks @Curledup14 for reminding me of this thread. I saw the woman this morning as I was coming out of the gym and she was arriving. I didn’t recognise her at first and I was waiting at the desk but she spoke to me and apologised. Which was unnecessary but quite sweet. I told her I’d been dealing with something and normally would have said no problem, and we both went off in good spirits. So a nice start to the day.

Hopefully the other ongoing stress with your neighbours ends up the same way 🤞

ofd to think the woman had no idea that you’d started a thread and dedicated your day to posting dozens of posts about the incident 😆

She apologised to you yesterday, what a coincidence, and almost 2 weeks after the incident!