Why Can’t You Park In Your Space

This post started out with this silly little blurb about a plague having descended upon the city. It wasn’t a bad hook, except I didn’t want people to get confused and think that I was talking about Cleveland, Dallas or Buffalo. So I decided to take a different tack.

Here is the deal. Over the past decade or so I have noticed that more drivers have decided that parking between the lines is optional. They park crookedly or right on top of the line. In fact I have even heard from a few that they do this intentionally.

Sometimes their excuse is a lack of time to park correctly or a fear of getting dings in their door from cars that park too closely. The problem with this flawed logic is that it forces others to park virtually on top of them.

This creates a situation in which I really miss my old Dodge Dart. It was a 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger with a Slant 6 225 H.P. engine in it. No power steering, no power brakes, and no air conditioning. Just an engine surrounded by a hunk of steel.

By the time it came into my possession it had a variety of dents decorating its exterior. And that is why it was perfect for parking lots. I didn’t care if it received any more dings, they just lent it more character. And I didn’t worry about people trying to force their SUVs into a space made for compacts.

Ok, I am back now. Dear reader, you wouldn’t know that I just spent the past three minutes staring off into space lost in daydreams about the days in my Dart.

Anyway, the real impetus for this post was the jackass who parked his Range Rover so that it took up two spaces. I know that he/she parked this way intentionally because they didn’t want anyone to come close to their overpriced rig.

But they didn’t count on my trusty steel-clad steed and me. I found a way to fit my car in the space. It was tight, but it was within the lines. If they decide to leave before I do they are going to have a small problem getting into the driver’s side of the car.

In fact, they can’t. Unless they’re paper-thin they are going to have to enter through the passenger side door. They parked next to a post so there is no chance of their getting blocked on that side.

I don’t expect my actions to change their behavior. I didn’t do it to teach them a lesson. I did it because I was short on time and the lot was full. It is a bit of a risky move because someone who is so selfish as to take up two spaces might not hesitate to “key” my car, but I’ll take my chances.

The current transport isn’t as much fun as the Dart or as old, but it is not brand spanking new either. It has a few blemishes. I just hope that it doesn’t gain any more.

I’ll let you know what happens.