Pararell Parking

[LotusEater]

My wife lived in Manhattan for decades, and she had to have a car for her work, so she had loads of practice parallel parking. Bystanders used to applaud when she shoehorned into an impossibly small slot. She was even recruited by others to parallel park their cars. She's always goading me to squeeze into what I think are too small spaces. I've renewed my skills ... a little. Our medium sized city is fairly suburban, with plenty of free parking most places, so it is not a skill I use often. Practice is everything.
The old joke: A tourist asks a New Yorker how to get to Carnegie Hall, and the New Yorker responds, "Practice, practice, practice."

I read once that in Manhattan at any given time there are 30% fewer parking parking spot than there are cars on the road.

 

[anotherbob]

it's easy but it feels so wrong at first. It's what they call counter intuitive.

 

[forloveoffreedom]

Parallel parking is easy, I just pull the reins and kick a little.

 

[LOREN]

Some new vehicles will parallel park themselves. I saw an advertisement video of a 2021 Genesis GV80 parallel park and there was no one in the car. The driver was standing outside the car watching.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Parallel parking is easy, I just pull the reins and kick a little.

I thought you screamed "back, back///".

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Those semi drivers are amazingly skilled.

 

[carlomarx]

Given the lack of rearward visibility due to the large C pillars on modern cars I don't know you could even teach someone how to parallel park.

 

[warren]

An observation after a career as a copper. People have trouble parking because they imagine their vehicle is smaller or larger than it is and compensate for that image. I've watched many people, male and female, in "compact" vehicles make attempt after attempt to park in a space a late 50's Caddy would easily fit into. The obverse of that is watching some guy, or gal, attempting to fit a full-sized pickup into a spot a VW "Beetle" would have trouble with.

 

[puff_not_snuff]

An observation after a career as a copper. People have trouble parking because they imagine their vehicle is smaller or larger than it is and compensate for that image. I've watched many people, male and female, in "compact" vehicles make attempt after attempt to park in a space a late 50's Caddy would easily fit into. The obverse of that is watching some guy, or gal, attempting to fit a full-sized pickup into a spot a VW "Beetle" would have trouble with.

But in England the cars are very small like Cooper Minis aren't they?

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Same. Figured it might be a play on the l-r merger in certain languages.

Likely, which made it seem kind of dumb to me, but some nice reminiscing from some about learning to parallel park - a must as a youth - and we had a couple of boats on wheels. After about 20 years of SUVs and pickups I finally got myself a Wrangler 2 door 6 years ago (wanted one since age 14) - I can park it anywhere!

 

[captainsousie]

I have to say, it depends on the car whether it is easy to parallel park for me or not. If the car has a spoiler or high rake to the rear, it's a bit rough for me as it throws off my point of reference. If it is a low or downward sloping rear, or a hatchback, it is usually a lot easier as there are multiple points of reference to park. As a result, it used to be a complete pain in the arse for me to park my Saturn Ion (tiny car) since any vehicle behind you disappeared in your rear view mirror 6 feet before you would contact with it. It also used to be easier to park my old Mercury Marquis wagon (which was as long as a crew cab long-bed pickup) as I could tell where any part of the vehicle was at any time.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I have to say, it depends on the car whether it is easy to parallel park for me or not. If the car has a spoiler or high rake to the rear, it's a bit rough for me as it throws off my point of reference. If it is a low or downward sloping rear, or a hatchback, it is usually a lot easier as there are multiple points of reference to park. As a result, it used to be a complete pain in the arse for me to park my Saturn Ion (tiny car) since any vehicle behind you disappeared in your rear view mirror 6 feet before you would contact with it. It also used to be easier to park my old Mercury Marquis wagon (which was as long as a crew cab long-bed pickup) as I could tell where any part of the vehicle was at any time.

Probably need to get off my own lawn, but many moons ago vehicles had much more definite points of reference - now the hoods on some cars are like automotive infinity pools on the front corner.

 

[Zack Miller]

My sister-in-law can’t parallel park on an empty street.

 

[bullet08]

Always found parallel parking much easier then parking into an open parking space on right side. Lately been noticing people parking like shit on purpose. Bad table manner and bad parking skill should be fixed as early as possible, even if it requires a car battery and a jumper cable.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Some new vehicles will parallel park themselves. I saw an advertisement video of a 2021 Genesis GV80 parallel park and there was no one in the car. The driver was standing outside the car watching.

I believe my car (2019 M-B) will parallel park itself when if and as I tell it to. But in the almost three years I've had it, I have not had an urge to do so. Maybe this thread will make me take the plunge.

 

[puff_not_snuff]

In Ney York City u-turns are legal.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Not on most of the avenues, (one way) and most streets are way too clogged to pull a U-ie no matter how short the wheel base!

Above was written with only Manhattan in mind- a bit parochial on my part. IIRC, you live in Brooklyn, no?

 

[BlackSwampPiper]

I remember thinking when I was a kid that by the time I was driving they would probably invent cars with an extra set of little sideways wheels so you don't have to manoeuvre much to parallel park. I feel like what I was really looking for was a........................................................................
........................................................................parallel universe.

They have that, nobody adopted the best one, you simply nose in, front brakes apply, and a single sideways wheel comes down in the center of the back and swing the back end in. Problem ended up being getting out, ass first then reversing into traffic, no room for the unit up front with the engine and transmission

 

[BlackSwampPiper]

I mis-spelled parallel in a spelling bee once and that’s why I didn’t get into Harvard…

No love for irony?

 

[puff_not_snuff]

Not on most of the avenues, (one way) and most streets are way too clogged to pull a U-ie no matter how short the wheel base!

Above was written with only Manhattan in mind- a bit parochial on my part. IIRC, you live in Brooklyn, no?

Yes, good point. Most of Manhattan is one way streets so, doing a u-turn would be a big problem. In Brooklyn tho (maybe Queens too) u-turns are rather popular. I am in Brooklyn, indeed. All of NYC, right turn on RED is illegal btw.