Sounds a bit tricky then! But I'm very careful with my wheels, can't stand wheels that are full of kerbing like a lot of cars on the road.
Tight Car Parks
- Thread starter 2004typer
- Start date
Sounds a bit tricky then! But I'm very careful with my wheels, can't stand wheels that are full of kerbing like a lot of cars on the road.
Deleted User 298457
Deleted User 298457
That's nuts lol.
There is no money to upgrade these car parks though. They sadly stopped being fit for purpose years ago as cars grew each generation.
Look at th the mondeo. Its not even in the "large family" car category and is still classed as a "medium sized family car".
The 1st gen in 1992 was 4.481m x 1.747m and the last gen in 2012 was 4.869m x 1.852m
So it had grown 38.8cm in length and 10.5cm in width and was never a small car in the first place.
Every manufacturer did the same and every car grew as the internal space measurements was a race to claim to most passenger space or boot space.
Look at th the mondeo. Its not even in the "large family" car category and is still classed as a "medium sized family car".
The 1st gen in 1992 was 4.481m x 1.747m and the last gen in 2012 was 4.869m x 1.852m
So it had grown 38.8cm in length and 10.5cm in width and was never a small car in the first place.
Every manufacturer did the same and every car grew as the internal space measurements was a race to claim to most passenger space or boot space.
Soldato
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Unfortunately these car parks aren't really fit for purpose anymore but who's going to pay for them to be knocked down and rebuilt?
Also that video of of cars hitting the bollards is ridiculous. I understand it being rather tight but why are people yeeting through it has 30MPH? lol
Also that video of of cars hitting the bollards is ridiculous. I understand it being rather tight but why are people yeeting through it has 30MPH? lol
I dont think its helped that it used to be 6 inches wider and perhaps people were used to it but once they shrunk it people misjudge it. Amazing to see even the police van got done
And then they grew big enough to put another model in below the previously smallest car. The Fiesta used to be the smallest but grew so big they then introduced the Ka. Same with the Polo, it’s now bigger than the first Golf and VW introduced the Fox then the Up! They’re all at it!
Soldato
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I’ve vowed to never park in a new multi-storey again, and only park in those I have experience with.
Id rather just walk further
Id rather just walk further
First world problem here but I had to stop using the local Waitrose because of the car park, the spaces are too small so now I use the new M&S food in a retail park nearby, the spaces are a bit wider and there are lots more of them so I can park well away from other cars.
I also tend to park at the furthest point away from the store entrance in any car park I use, does the wife's head in lol.
Until recently I had both an Evoque and a Mini. The Evoque isn't even particularly big compared to many SUV's but I hated finding a parking spot in that. I'd often take the Mini just for ease of parking. I'm actually quite good at getting into and out of tight spaces. But the bays are so narrow that I was constantly worried about people dinging my car with their door.
Like you I will often choose a supermarket or shopping centre based on how easy it is to park. If it's a pain then I'll skip it and go somewhere else.
Soldato
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Only car park round here I'm really comfortable parking the XJ in is our local Costco. The spaces there are sized for transits and sprinter vans. Everywhere else I just go to the far end and walk further.
It causes arguments but then you walk up to the entrance and see a load of beaten up SUVs and know you made the right choice
Deleted User 298457
Deleted User 298457
I've got over this by counting it in my exercise quotaIt causes arguments but then you walk up to the entrance and see a load of beaten up SUVs and know you made the right choice
Most multistoreys were built in the 60s and 70s when people drove Mini's and Austin 1100s. A large family car was a Maxi, and even a modern supermini is way bigger 40 years later.
So what are the options? You can't make the spaces wider without losing a third of the capacity as the columns holding it up get in the way.
So what are the options? You can't make the spaces wider without losing a third of the capacity as the columns holding it up get in the way.
Car parks are **** poorly designed in this country.
The other thing is cars are getting bigger.
If you look at arial views of most cities in America for example and see the land mass in cities that is designated to car parking, it looks like about a 3rd of the area.
But..... I dont really care, because I do go out to "shops" much anyway, and ****** little expensive car parks is a key contributor to this, if the high street wants to avoid its own death they should invest in better parking but whatever.
The other thing is cars are getting bigger.
If you look at arial views of most cities in America for example and see the land mass in cities that is designated to car parking, it looks like about a 3rd of the area.
But..... I dont really care, because I do go out to "shops" much anyway, and ****** little expensive car parks is a key contributor to this, if the high street wants to avoid its own death they should invest in better parking but whatever.
Cars haven’t gotten bigger for the fun of it though, it’s nearly all about safety.
Wrap an original mini round a tree at anything more than walking pace and you’d probably die. Where as hitting a stationary object at 50mph in a modern car, even a small one and you’d probably live.
Wrap an original mini round a tree at anything more than walking pace and you’d probably die. Where as hitting a stationary object at 50mph in a modern car, even a small one and you’d probably live.
Always hated the exit from the multistorey car park to the Vue cinema in Newcastle Under Lyme. It has a 90 degree turn to the ticket barrier out onto the A34. I don't think I've ever seen anyone who hasn't had to lean out of their window to reach to ticket barrier control or even open their door to get to it, lol.
Best car park I've ever been to is the parksafe one in Lancaster (near the castle), nice wide spaces, easy to navigate and very secure.
Generally I do as 2004typer does, park away from everyone. The wife, though, has a WAV as my son is wheelchair bound and in car parks where spaces are tight I find many spill into Blue Badge spaces as they are normally (not always) wider. (A little bit of a rant now though), I don't know why they just design car park with all larger spaces, yes it reduces the number of cars that can park, but the amount of times we've had to park in a normal space and try to get my (26 year old) son out the WAV and into his chair is almost impossible, worse so when its raining. The amount of nasty looks or even verbal abuse we get when using disabled spaces is frightening (happened when were holidaying in South Wales in September/October (dude with a family in a high spec A6 Avant, who seemingly decided we shouldn't park in a disabled spot even though it was a WAV and he could clearly see my son in a wheelchair, the whole family parked next to us and all promptly got out, asking his son to check if we had a blue badge or not (they didn't) and stormed away when the saw we did). Even when we get a disabled space we've given up using the WAV as a WAV as spaces aren't always designed to accommodate them (opening the rear door and bringing the ramp down, getting the wheelchair (with son in) out, unhooking him tends to put him out in the middle of the road (yep, had irate drivers too impatient to wait so been shouted at to get out of the way at or even a beep of their car horn). Can't reverse into the spaces due to posts behind so can't open the rear door or put the ramp down, and back to back disabled spaces, cars in front /behind like to park close to the rear end of the WAV. And that's before drivers who seemingly can't park correctly!
Sorry rant over
Best car park I've ever been to is the parksafe one in Lancaster (near the castle), nice wide spaces, easy to navigate and very secure.
Generally I do as 2004typer does, park away from everyone. The wife, though, has a WAV as my son is wheelchair bound and in car parks where spaces are tight I find many spill into Blue Badge spaces as they are normally (not always) wider. (A little bit of a rant now though), I don't know why they just design car park with all larger spaces, yes it reduces the number of cars that can park, but the amount of times we've had to park in a normal space and try to get my (26 year old) son out the WAV and into his chair is almost impossible, worse so when its raining. The amount of nasty looks or even verbal abuse we get when using disabled spaces is frightening (happened when were holidaying in South Wales in September/October (dude with a family in a high spec A6 Avant, who seemingly decided we shouldn't park in a disabled spot even though it was a WAV and he could clearly see my son in a wheelchair, the whole family parked next to us and all promptly got out, asking his son to check if we had a blue badge or not (they didn't) and stormed away when the saw we did). Even when we get a disabled space we've given up using the WAV as a WAV as spaces aren't always designed to accommodate them (opening the rear door and bringing the ramp down, getting the wheelchair (with son in) out, unhooking him tends to put him out in the middle of the road (yep, had irate drivers too impatient to wait so been shouted at to get out of the way at or even a beep of their car horn). Can't reverse into the spaces due to posts behind so can't open the rear door or put the ramp down, and back to back disabled spaces, cars in front /behind like to park close to the rear end of the WAV. And that's before drivers who seemingly can't park correctly!
Sorry rant over
I have driven into many car parks to only drive out again soon after entry with a loud 'nope' because I can't find a space I am happy with. I know I have damaged my cars in them in the past too, usually wheels but also a boot on my first M3 in a proper DOH moment where I was reversing to the sensors whilst ignoring the overhand near the boot lid. BUMP, followed by DOH and another go....BUMP DOH!
I also remember the same car heading into the tightest car park IN THE WORLD in Torquay back in 2002 and hearing both wheels make the worst scrunch noise as I batted them against I curb on a ramp. Still makes me wince to this day. I think the noise lasted for 24 hours it was that long (in my head). Also coming back from the Ring a few years back we said "lets have lunch in Brussels' to which we found the tightest car park IN THE UNIVERSE and to this day I still don't know how we all got in. Think people either side "you're alright, you're alright"
Yea, I hate car parks with a passion. They should be easy but so often life n stuff distracts me.
I also remember the same car heading into the tightest car park IN THE WORLD in Torquay back in 2002 and hearing both wheels make the worst scrunch noise as I batted them against I curb on a ramp. Still makes me wince to this day. I think the noise lasted for 24 hours it was that long (in my head). Also coming back from the Ring a few years back we said "lets have lunch in Brussels' to which we found the tightest car park IN THE UNIVERSE and to this day I still don't know how we all got in. Think people either side "you're alright, you're alright"
Yea, I hate car parks with a passion. They should be easy but so often life n stuff distracts me.