Please park between the lines
Have you noticed that these days it seems as if parking spaces in parking lots are getting smaller — at the same time as more and more people are switching from cars to SUVs? I did too, purchasing a new, 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime to replace my relatively small 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in.
My RAV4 has much more interior room than the Prius had, and it is comfortable.
In stark contrast, I also have a fun but much less practical car. It is an orange, fourth generation (ND), 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata (special 30th Anniversary edition).
Unlike my Miata, my RAV4 has an automatic transmission and it is MUCH easier to get into and out of. You almost need to be a contortionist to do that in my Miata. I do not drive it very often.
Unfortunately (as I shared with you in AutoMatters & More # 851), over a month ago my RAV4 was sideswiped at night on a freeway by a hit and run driver. The damage to my RAV4 was extensive (over $19,500., according to the most recent estimate). It is supposed to be repaired and ready to go this Friday — almost exactly six weeks since my big accident.
I did not have rental car insurance (I do now, if there ever is a next time), but even if I had, that would have been limited by my insurance company to 30 days. With parts availability sometimes challenging, that may not be enough for some repair jobs. I resigned myself to driving my Miata until my RAV4 was back home.
A fourth generation Miata is not what I consider to be suitable as a daily driver. The passenger compartment is cramped, and it has a tiny trunk that only has a horizontal trunk opening (no vertical opening). Large objects that would otherwise fit in the trunk cannot be put into the trunk.
Furthermore, since I am 70 years old and relatively tall, getting into and out of my Miata — even in the best of situations — is especially difficult. I was not looking forward to enduring that torture for over a month. Little did I know than that my situation would soon get much worse.
A few weeks ago I sprained my left knee and could not bend it without experiencing sharp, stabbing pain. I have made multiple trips to see medical professionals, and was fitted for a knee brace that keeps my leg straight. Now getting into and out of my Miata is much more difficult, even when I fully open the door. Part of the problem is that the footbox of the Miata is set quite far forward of the leading edge of the door opening.
Last week, while I was at the medical center, I parked in a narrow parking space. It and the empty parking space to its left were clearly marked COMPACT.
After my appointment I returned to my car to discover that the very wide, passenger-side rear fender of a widebody Porsche 911 was well over the first of two lines that marked its parking space.
That left only about a foot between that fender and the door of my Miata.
Since my Miata has a high center console, entering my car from the passenger-side was not an option. Bending my sprained knee enough for me to squeeze through the narrow drivers-side door opening was awkward and very painful — and I had to hold the edge of the door with one hand, to avoid scratching either car.
After days of pain, making two visits for x-rays and seeing several medical professionals, in addition to my ongoing lack of mobility, I was already not in a good mood. This was the last straw. Out of frustration, I wrote a short note on the back of one of my business cards, and left it on the other driver’s car (in retrospect I know that was not a wise thing to do). I never heard back from them.
Other people have told me how difficult — if not impossible — it can be to get little children into and out of car seats when someone parks too close to them. Please be considerate and park between the lines.
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Copyright © 2024 by Jan Wagner – AutoMatters & More #855r1
I’d talk to the parking garage and call a police tow truck!
I chose to show the driver some consideration.
Jan
Jan, I notice that the wide bodied Porsche driver cleverly parked with the driver’s side door within the white line, while the passenger door is over the white line. That’s what’s called turning a blind eye.
I was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, last month, and parked in a crowded harbour-side parking lot. Parking spaces are smaller in Halifax than in major US cities because vehicles in general are smaller. There was one space left in the lot.
You guessed it. On each side was 4 door long bed RAM type super truck, both intruding into the only available space. It would have been impossible to open my doors. I had to drive around the lot until a space became available!
I’m glad to hear your RAV4 will be ready soon…the Miata has been a pain in the leg.
David
Thanks David,
Clearly clearly marked COMPACT.
We were parked in a large hospital’s parking garage. Surely the Porsche’s driver could have found a normal (wider) spot if they had bothered to look for one.
Jan