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Really they should just have some concrete parking blocks in that lot. Not sure if I can really blame the drivers here… it’s just a bad setup.
Yeah, this is more of a design failure than people being assholes.
The design failure is only failing to anticipate that people are going to be assholes. The two are not mutually exclusive.
The design failure is not following parking lot design best practices and installing parking stoppers or bollards on spaces that are directly next a walkway. People are going to pull forward to the only point of reference they have which, because there are no lines or stoppers, is the sidewalk curb.
The teal car clearly all the way up on the sidewalk is definitely an asshole though.
so if you park your car you just drive forward until you hit a concrete block or the curb?
Isn't that why cars have "bumpers"? To "bump" into things?... /s
They have the reference of spatial awareness and not just drive until you bump into something as well. That's how you end up with fucked up body panels.
Does it really make someone an "asshole" for just pulling up until their tire hits something? Feel like this is something 95% of people would do without realizing it until they got out and saw the sidewalk.
Like do you guys really think these people are intentionally blocking the path or something?
Does it really make someone an "asshole" for just pulling up until their tire hits something?
Yes, it absolutely does.
intentionally
Doesn't matter if it's intentional or not, it's still causing a problem...
The point is that they don't care.
Personally, I try and have a modicum of spatial awareness that allows me to know my surroundings enough that I don't have to collide with something to know I've gone far enough.
Idk about you, but I don't instinctively know how much room is left behind my car when I pull into a parking space
That’s why I get out of my car, look if I’m getting in someone’s way, and adjust as needed.
Takes no more than a minute to be civil and nice to other people, especially to those with special needs.
I don't instinctively know, but I do put the barest amount of thought into it as I know the approximate length of my car and I have the super basic ability of depth perception. So I can do a pretty damn good job of judging just how deep my car is in a space.
And If I'm off enough that it proves to be a nuisance to those who might use the walking space in front of it? I act like a decent fucking human being and move my car. Cause I'm not a complete narcissistic prick.
I get that basically locked in within a couple weeks of driving the same car. Do you not know approximately how long your car is while in the driver's seat? Does it not get better over time??
No one is "being an asshole" they are just trying to "park all the way in". A block is specifically there to communicate AND enforce that
To try to park all the way in is an asshole move.
A normally zoned, and properly provisioned parking spot has a stop, and would never be designed where cars would block pedestrian access.
It is normal to pull in and expect a stop point.
Depending on size or design of car you may be accustomed to not hitting the stop block (low car, small car, etc), but you would, as the driver, assume you are not inappropriately "too in" if you HAVEN'T touched the (in this case inexistent) stop block.
All of these drivers subconsciously believe they are comfortably in the spot, without sticking out front or back. Because of this none of them have any suspicion they need to look to double check.
One of the core principles of car and pedestrian cohabitation is to use barriers and information to keep cars and pedestrians separated, without relying on the "common sense" of the driver.
Drivers do not have "common sense" of a heavy machine, and must be separated from impinging on pedestrians.
It's always some other's fault, isn't it? No, it's not. They're the drivers.
They drive a heavy machine, like you said, so they should act like it. Be responsible. Always double check. Be respectful and prudent.
Stop blocks are good things, sure, but their existence is not an excuse to park recklessly.
Stop blocks are like stop signs. They're part of a proper system. They aren't optional
They are. And even if it wasn't the case, their lack is not an excuse; if an intersection has no clear priority sign, it doesn't give drivers the right to pass as they want.
I doubt there are many non rural, non isolated 4 way intersections in all of western Europe or north America without a sign.
The point that you clearly cannot grasp is this: cars are unsafe, and hard to handle. Good design and especially focusing on separation are required for an orderly interface between cars and pedestrian spaces, even in Europe where as you say, the drivers are quite good.
I never said stop blocks are a bad thing. I just say that, if you don't give a shit about others enough to just check if you correctly parked, you're an asshole.
I think this stop is something very American. In Europe it's very rare to see a stop for the cars. You just learn to drive correctly. American drivers are just worse at driving than European ones, because your streets and parking spaces and literally anything else car related is just huge. And same with parking spaces. You are used to having a stop, so you only learn how to park correctly if there is a stop.
There are some parkings with stop blocks in Europe, but they're more of an exception rather than a norm. What I think is a better solution, is to have a wider sidewalk with some trees, shrubs, lamp posts, etc. right next to the curb, that act as a natural limit for how far people will park their car.
Much as the dutch have mastered the design of new roads to separate them from pedestrian and cycling paths, stop blocks are simply a good feature.
Many buildings in Europe aren't even handicapped accessible (such as old buildings, cramped buildings) and that doesn't mean European disabled folks are "better" wheelchair operators, it just means antiquated spaces aren't always designed with modern best practices.
Stop blocks keep people safe, and ensure access for those like the disabled.
It's not that Europeans are "better drivers" ,(evidence: this picture), it's that it isn't a law there, and isn't part of the design of the spaces these parking spots are in.
Jesus Christ. Touch grass man. It's not that serious
Try to walk on this this kind of sidewalk with a stroller and a walking child and you'll understand why it is serious. Or try to pass it in a wheelchair.
Then complain to the property owner instead of complaining about drivers on the internet. The drivers are doing nothing wrong here.
They can possibly park otherwise, so they are responsible.
Shouldn't the driver be able to know where their car ends without a concrete barrier?
In the front, yes - but knowing how much your rear might be sticking out is another story. That's tough to judge with rear-view and side-view mirrors only.
Maybe it's different elsewhere but at least in the Midwest US we have a range of different length parking spots, from very short to long, so it's habit to pull as far forward as possible to ensure you aren't sticking out into the aisle.
The courteous folks hop back in and reposition if they're parked funky, but those types can be far and between.
Sometimes I'm badly parked, and I understand it only when I leave my car. It's normal, you're right.
But you know what's not normal? To stay badly parked. It doesn't cost much time to start the car again to move it backward a little…
How do you not hit stuff when reversing? I agree that it's tough to judge with mirrors only but it's definitely possible if you've been driving for more than two weeks.
Drivers simply don't give a shit, everything else is just excuses.
There's a curb. That idiot just pulled up onto it.