New Trend-Shorter Parking Spaces!

steamloco76

steamloco76

Member
Bronze Supporter
Joined
Dec 2, 2010
Messages
3,658
Reaction score
3,695
Location
Western Pennsylvania
Every other vehicle on the road including mine seems to be a full size truck or SUV. The average length of a late model extended cab, standard bed pick-up is 19 feet 3 inches to 19 feet 7 inches. Large sedans are in the 18 foot range. Why oh why are the municipalities in my area of PA reducing the lenght of on street, parallel parking spaces to 18 feet from 20 to 21 feet?

The just repaved the streets in two towns I which I work and park. My Chevy Silverado, 19 ft 3 in long, used to just fit in the parking spaces. As long as everybody parked correctly with their vehicles centered in their space you can get in and out-carefully.
I parked in one of the new spaces yesterday. Both front and back bumpers were over the space lines. A Toyota Tacoma Quad Cab a few spaces up was parked-in tighter than a drum. His truck was the exact length of the space. A Crown Vic was behind him and a Dodge Durango was in front. There wasn't a foot between the cars and all were centered.

Can't wait until the fights start as people either get parked-in or have their vehicles damaged.
 
Register to hide this ad
AND the parking space gods are making them more narrow too. I drive a Ford Super duty Crew cab long bed. Not only do I hang over on both ends I don't have much room between cars.

I went by our Wally world and pulled through a double to park. Lots of empty spaces around me. A friendly sort pulled right in behind me and got out of his little baby foreign truck and started in on me for my bumper and trailer hitch hanging over into "his" spot. He also commented that "people" don't need trucks that big and shouldn't have them.

I told him I heard his highness was coming and left all the other spots for you. If you don't like it move it and keep your obnoxiousness to yourself. After all we are already in the parking lot. Got any other ideas? He went and did his shopping like a good sarcastic lad whose wife let him off the leash for a few.

Nothing like a sour puss and no ammo to get a gentleman riled at Wally world.
 
Last edited:
As the trend toward smaller cars continues so do smaller spaces. However I can and do park my 95 F150 Lightning in spaces marked "compact only" and it fits just fine.
 
My peeve is that more and more of the guys with large trucks are people who buy more truck than they can handle.

"Bout a month ago, we got stuck trying to exit a lot because some guy (with a construction co logo) couldn't get his truck into a parking stall. Kept backing out, pulling in, backing out. Of course, he wouldn't stop to let pedestrians walk by, so there was a minor crowd milling around. We couldn't even get to our car. When we did, I had to back out so my wife could open the door and get in because he hung over the lines on both sides. I mentioned that it was another moron who bought more truck than he could handle to the lady next to me and she said "Oh, he just bought the truck two months ago and can't drive it yet!"

huh?
 
Spaces are smaller because the urban planners want to make driving a big truck as tough as possible. In Minneapolis, the liberals are removing a lane from major city roads and turning them into bike lanes. Bike lanes where it gets -20 degrees is real intelligent...

This is part of social re-engineering to attempt to turn us into a nation of "Smart" cars and public transportation.
 
Sorry, but this is not a "new" trend...............

It has been going on for about 20 years.........each time a parking lot gets re-striped the spaces shrink a little more.

I drive a GMC 2500 VanDura...........I would never even attempt to parallel park that thing!!
 
man .. we really seem to be getting bent out of shape over parking lately.
Historically, we have made it hard enough on eachother for various reasons ... now the gov wants to help...
send the city the bill when stuff gets trashed as a direct result of this folly.
 
usm1rifle said:
Spaces are smaller because the urban planners want to make driving a big truck as tough as possible. In Minneapolis, the liberals are removing a lane from major city roads and turning them into bike lanes. Bike lanes where it gets -20 degrees is real intelligent...

This is part of social re-engineering to attempt to turn us into a nation of "Smart" cars and public transportation.
Click to expand...

just saw the city pee some bike lanes around town.
it was clearly a knee jerk feelgood plan with almost no thought that has created hazards for motorists that outweigh any safety gained for cyclists.
in some intersections, the only way to comply to the law requires maneuvers that would be deemed reckless driving in order to not cross into the bike lane. That, or you need to come to a full stop in the middle of traffic in order to make the turn.
rather than invoking road rage for stopping, and the wrath of traffic enforcement for hand brake turns ... we go out of our way to avoid these intersections entirely
 
I feel your pain...

I work at a Honda dealership and drive a Silverado long bed. Try parking that sucker in a spot sized for a Civic. I have to be really careful not to run over a $25,000 speed bump. ;)
 
One of my favorite LGS has a gravel lot no stripes or lines to worry about. Everybody parks where they want to and takes up as much room as they need. No problems. Only libs and morons need marked parking spots. I do agree in marking spots where you cant park or shouldnt for the same reason the libs and morons need to have marked spots.










P.S. The reason is becaue they are STUPID.
 
The city planers/development board determined that the 40 year standard of 1.5 to 1.7 parking spots per apartment wasn't enough. So they mandated 2 parking spots or 1 per bedroom if greater. Then a few years later made it retroactive. There is no mandated size on the parking spots, so the unfunded mandate was complied with, by making the same space fit more cars. It is a lot like your favorite dinner cutting the pie into 8 pieces and charging a dollar more for it!
 
I saw compact parking spaces in DC in the late 80's. I wondered where the farm trucks were suppose to park.
 
I park where I want', how I want, when I want, where I work, the three trucks, car, and two motorcycles never get any complaint about how they are parked. Oh that's right I'm retired and park in the drive, barn, car port or out in the field and no one is around.:D Oh that's right I don't live in the city. Sorry for you guys.

But I will have problems if all the HC parking is full when I do go out. Can't open the doors wide enough to get out. But I have noticed some places try to squeeze more parking into their lots by making parking spaces smaller. And the lots are never full.
 
Why oh why are the municipalities in my area of PA reducing the lenght of on street, parallel parking spaces to 18 feet from 20 to 21 feet?
Click to expand...

Because our "governmental handlers" will have us all in our appropriate vehicles in short order. We only know what "we want"... they know what "we need".

18 feet is more than you need.... just wait until the next cuts come to pass.

clowncar.gif
 
They are working on cramming more people into less space.They are promoting 3-4 story buildings at the new light rail stops here.Retail on the lower level,residential above and on the rare occasion you want to go somewhere,hop a train into town.Live upstairs,work downstairs-wait a minute..my ancestors lived like that! They fled,looking for wide open spaces..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top