The constant fear of the door basher

Soldato
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You cant actually be fined for using parent spaces anyway, but surely you're just asking for trouble if parents with kids genuinely use the ones next to you.

Most parent and child spaces around by me would allow both cars next to each other to have the doors wide open and not even touch each other.

I used to think this was excessive and a waste of space until I was in the position of getting my son out of the car and into a waiting push chair. The space is most definitely needed.
 
Soldato
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It's not only in car parks - Years ago when we had a caravan we went to Cornwall and found a nice empty camp site - We picked a spot half way up on left hand side - went out and when we got back some numpty had parked next to us - RIGHT NEXT to us - you could touch their caravan - and they had three kids. It didn't go down well.

A mate always parked his RR at far end of car parks - when he gets back he is surrounded - I told him it's the herding instinct.
 
Caporegime
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That was what I meant! Combination of typo and autocorrect fail I think!

As for people parking next to you when in the middle of nowhere... Sometimes I think the logic must go - this guy obviously cares about his car so they aren't going to damage my one so at least one side is safe if I park next to them!

My wife does this she will park next to nice cars only. Her logic is if they have a nice car they will be more careful of other cars.

Whereas I park away from where all the morons like to park. So I tend to park a bit further away and usually with several spaces in the vicinity and usually nobody parks next to me when I do.

She refuses to walk the extra 30 yards or so to a safe space.

That feeling when it's the only spot in a busy car park, you get into the tight space and squeeze out of your car. You look at the car next to yours and then you notice, a child seat, your heart sinks knowing what is to come.

I refuse to shop in Aldi for this very reason. The car park is tiny and the spaces are enough to fit a smart car in them.

If they had triple the size of car park and bigger spaces I'd consider shopping there.

But no point as it's guaranteed to get hit because it is full of scum mainly with crap cars.
 
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LiE

LiE

Caporegime
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Milton Keynes
I refuse to shop in Aldi for this very reason. The car park is tiny and the spaces are enough to fit a smart car in them.

If they had triple the size of car park and bigger spaces I'd consider shopping there.

But no point as it's guaranteed to get hit because it is full of scum mainly with crap cars.

Where as my local Aldi has a few nice parking spots (I posted an image above) and a lot of the cars are pretty decent. All those savings shopping at Aldi help :)
 
Caporegime
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Where as my local Aldi has a few nice parking spots (I posted an image above) and a lot of the cars are pretty decent. All those savings shopping at Aldi help :)

it's so bad at my local you often find cars just parking wherever they want including blocking the front entrance. there is a queue of people waiting to park. just a horrible place to be. i'd rather just pay the £20 extra for my shopping in asda.
 
Associate
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20 May 2007
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866
The site I work on was built by the Americans years ago, still has the old parking layout and yea the spaces are huge. Also the angled spaces they use are best as you can park in a way where you can fully open the drivers door.

We've got angled spots at work, trouble is I'm the only person that knows how to use them. I've had marks on my last two cars that due to the location on the front wing and front bumper have obviously happened in the work car park.
 
Caporegime
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In acme's chair.
Even when I'm driving slightly scruffy cars (which is most of the time) I still hate it when people park next to me.

It's not only in car parks - Years ago when we had a caravan we went to Cornwall and found a nice empty camp site - We picked a spot half way up on left hand side - went out and when we got back some numpty had parked next to us - RIGHT NEXT to us - you could touch their caravan - and they had three kids. It didn't go down well.


How did that go? :p
 
Soldato
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Englishman in the USA
I usually don’t give it a single thought, I park next to trolley parks n all that and haven’t had an issue yet. If there are 3 spaces next to one another I’ll park in the middle one but I can’t be bothered to drive around a car park or to the back of beyond to park because there’s a tiny chance someone might ding my car.

Parking next to minivans is always a good choice as they’d have to be some sort of special to hit your car with a sliding door :D
 
Soldato
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18 Oct 2003
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3,659
I think about it too much, park at the airport all the time, questions like:
Do business people care more or less about their cars?
Are coupe 3 door owners better or worse to park next to? i.e. they like cars but their doors are bigger.
If I park in the middle of three spaces does that increase the risk of an idiot parking next to me .
 
Soldato
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In the middle
I'm sure some people will deliberately target you if you try and park out of the way. I've parked in a far away spot in a mostly empty carpark at the local supermarket to come out ten minutes later to find some **** in a Transit has parked 3 inches from my drivers door. :mad:
You can't win, and it will eat you up inside if you let it.
 
Soldato
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12 Jul 2005
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3,912
yeh i had a situation where some complete pratt in a transit parked so that i literally couldnt open my drivers door. I mean, i had like an inch. I waited 10 mins for the brain dead pile of dirt to turn up but he didnt. I ended up having to get in via the passengers side and try and get into the drivers side from there.

The note i left on the windscreen would have made your eyes bleed. The sheer incompetence and inconsideration of it made my hair nearly combust. It STILL makes me furious to this day - in fact this thread isnt healthy.
 
Man of Honour
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13 Oct 2006
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90,805
I told him it's the herding instinct.

I think it must be - I drive a pickup so generally have to plan ahead a little when it comes to parking and try to choose spots away from anyone else, etc. but I can definitely park up out the way in an almost empty car park and come back to find any new comers have parked around me.

EDIT: On the plus side the step bar along the sides catches a lot of people's doors before they make contact with the paint.
 
Soldato
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22 Nov 2006
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23,299
After all this time you'd think someone would design a door which has some kind of ding protection :/

I guess Citroen had a go with the Cactus :p
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Jun 2005
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5,298
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Cornwall
Followed a car with the following sticker on the boot t'other day.

'I have kids. Park too close and they will ding your ****'

I had to double take :eek:

Only in Britain :D
 
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