150 cars too big for modern parking spaces

150 cars too big for modern parking spaces

Author
Discussion

MF35

416 posts

22 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
It's not just the size of spaces. In multi-storey car parks, the entrance and exit roads between the floors can be ridiculously narrow, especially when turning into them. Admittedly, our family car is a LWB Audi A8, and it's like threading a needle wearing boxing gloves, to the point where I avoid multi stories if possible. They should just have warning signs saying “not suitable for anything bigger than a Golf”.

Terminator X

15,098 posts

205 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
Tigger2050 said:
Lets look at where the vast majority of people actually live and travel shall we, not the Scottish Highlands and Islands etc, England.

Population density was 434 per square kilometre in 2021. (will be higher now).

Your list includes all the tiny states Monaco, Malta, Bahrain etc.

For countries with more than 15 million people, England ranks fifth behind Bangladesh, Taiwan, South Korea and India.
Also in England most people are packed in to London or the SE. Go to the North and it seems pretty empty.

TX.

Lester H

2,737 posts

106 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
It may be an urban myth but I have heard more than once that municipal parking lots, including high rise - mostly still in use- were planned around a ‘typical’ car, and that was a Ford Escort.

MC Bodge

21,632 posts

176 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
MF35 said:
It's not just the size of spaces. In multi-storey car parks, the entrance and exit roads between the floors can be ridiculously narrow, especially when turning into them. Admittedly, our family car is a LWB Audi A8, and it's like threading a needle wearing boxing gloves, to the point where I avoid multi stories if possible. They should just have warning signs saying “not suitable for anything bigger than a Golf”.
Last year I made the mistake of driving into a multi-storey car park in the town grew up in.

I had memories of my Dad parking in it in the 1980s, possibly in a MK2 Cavalier or maybe earlier in a Vauxhall Viva.

In a Mk5 Mondeo, the curved access ramp was almost too narrow and I needed to do multi-point turns around some corners (there were plenty of paint scrapes on walls and kerbs).

When I had parked, I noticed that there were no other large cars in there....


FMOB

879 posts

13 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
MC Bodge said:
MF35 said:
It's not just the size of spaces. In multi-storey car parks, the entrance and exit roads between the floors can be ridiculously narrow, especially when turning into them. Admittedly, our family car is a LWB Audi A8, and it's like threading a needle wearing boxing gloves, to the point where I avoid multi stories if possible. They should just have warning signs saying “not suitable for anything bigger than a Golf”.
Last year I made the mistake of driving into a multi-storey car park in the town grew up in.

I had memories of my Dad parking in it in the 1980s, possibly in a MK2 Cavalier or maybe earlier in a Vauxhall Viva.

In a Mk5 Mondeo, the curved access ramp was almost too narrow and I needed to do multi-point turns around some corners (there were plenty of paint scrapes on walls and kerbs).

When I had parked, I noticed that there were no other large cars in there....
Who would have thought it, a multi-story car park has a far longer life than the average car. It will be interesting to see if the one needing a rebuild at Luton Airport will be roomier than the old one. I have my doubts on that.

I think obesity also plays a part in it and cars are getting bigger because the population is getting fatter.

CrgT16

1,968 posts

109 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
The cars have increased in size but at the same time our infrastructure is old, designed with old metrics. They need updating and so do the roads.

I have a small and large car and park where I can. I don’t make a sing and dance about it . It was my choice but some car parks spaces, single garages, etc are just ridiculous in size. Not fit for modern cars.

MC Bodge

21,632 posts

176 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
FMOB said:
MC Bodge said:
MF35 said:
It's not just the size of spaces. In multi-storey car parks, the entrance and exit roads between the floors can be ridiculously narrow, especially when turning into them. Admittedly, our family car is a LWB Audi A8, and it's like threading a needle wearing boxing gloves, to the point where I avoid multi stories if possible. They should just have warning signs saying “not suitable for anything bigger than a Golf”.
Last year I made the mistake of driving into a multi-storey car park in the town grew up in.

I had memories of my Dad parking in it in the 1980s, possibly in a MK2 Cavalier or maybe earlier in a Vauxhall Viva.

In a Mk5 Mondeo, the curved access ramp was almost too narrow and I needed to do multi-point turns around some corners (there were plenty of paint scrapes on walls and kerbs).

When I had parked, I noticed that there were no other large cars in there....
Who would have thought it, a multi-story car park has a far longer life than the average car. It will be interesting to see if the one needing a rebuild at Luton Airport will be roomier than the old one. I have my doubts on that.

I think obesity also plays a part in it and cars are getting bigger because the population is getting fatter.
I just had not given it any consideration. I remembered the car park from decades ago, but had not considered how much bigger the car was.

I am not obese myself, so I do not drive a pickup or crossover wink

vikingaero

10,359 posts

170 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
CrgT16 said:
The cars have increased in size but at the same time our infrastructure is old, designed with old metrics. They need updating and so do the roads.

I have a small and large car and park where I can. I don’t make a sing and dance about it . It was my choice but some car parks spaces, single garages, etc are just ridiculous in size. Not fit for modern cars.
And indeed they have. More and more car parks have the double lines between spaces allowing for a few inches of extra room I quite like Q-Parks - bright, clean, modern and wider lanes to drive around and enter/exit. Sure the older car parks are tight, but do you really expect them to be demolished and rebuilt just for you?! When I visit towns and cities I use something called The Internet to check out a few car parks nar my destination. Try it, it's newfangled! biggrin

DonkeyApple

55,377 posts

170 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
Cars have become wider and longer but that's not an issue. It doesn't matter how wide or long a vehicle is it's the height that causes all the issues. Taller cars are the problem.

DSLiverpool

14,762 posts

203 months

Thursday 18th April
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It’s worse if you’re a fatty in a coupe / convertible with long doors.


LunarOne

5,214 posts

138 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
DSLiverpool said:
It’s worse if you’re a fatty in a coupe / convertible with long doors.
I find a convertible often makes things much easier as a fatty. I can raise the roof (non-metaphorically) and then sort of stand up in the car which means I can get through the slightest crack in the door which I would never fit through if I had to remain seated and reclined while getting my legs out.

Purosangue

959 posts

14 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
TUS373 said:
. Taking up kiddy spaces is plain wrong unless young kids in the car.


Agree ,

a few years ago I took the old boy to Lidl in the Aston , reversed into the disabled bay , displayed the blue sign , i got his shopping he went to the amazon parcel collect a few yards away .



strange sign over a disabled bay saying don't block exit ?



then walking back had a chap follow me to the car ranting about disable bays , .. until the old boy whose 85 appeared and got in the car .
then a few weeks later i went with the kids in the back , car park was full with an empty bay for kids / parents , so indicated to pull in ,,, the driver in the adjacent spot reversed out trying to block me , i pulled in got out and he got out going proper mettle about sportscars etc.... it caused a scene until the lady next to him pointed to the back seat with both our young ones laughing , He was still ranting when i pulled the seat forward and our young one stepped out .......... The penny dropped oh it has 4 seats .! he saw the funny side and we both had a laugh

mind you someone has a sense of humour ...Aston is quantum Silver parked up and came back to find this nice Alfa parked next to me



biggrin

Edited by Purosangue on Thursday 18th April 21:58

DonkeyApple

55,377 posts

170 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
DSLiverpool said:
It’s worse if you’re a fatty in a coupe / convertible with long doors.
Indeed. They probably find parking spaces a little awkward as well.

AmyRichardson

1,087 posts

43 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
DonkeyApple said:
DSLiverpool said:
It’s worse if you’re a fatty in a coupe / convertible with long doors.
Indeed. They probably find parking spaces a little awkward as well.
Well, body shape is the least of their worries. But possibly should be.

LuS1fer

41,136 posts

246 months

Thursday 18th April
quotequote all
Issigonis laboured to design the Mini to seat 4 adults and it still took 3050 odd millimetres which is about the minimum you can achieve, realistically.

Our 2011 Panda is pretty small but expands that to just over 3500mm but, in fairness, it has 4 doors but you can still park it just about anywhere. They expanded it by 100 odd mm in 2013 and I've always thought it plump.

The Insignia B I just sold was huge, in comparison, a little too long for most parking spaces. It's replacement is going to be much smaller. I hate big fat SUVs.

272BHP

5,091 posts

237 months

Friday 19th April
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Purosangue said:
mind you someone has a sense of humour ...Aston is quantum Silver parked up and came back to find this nice Alfa parked next to me
Clever parking by the Alfa. If the parking spaces are narrow then park next to something expensive and shiny and preferably at the end so the other side is protected as well.

CrgT16

1,968 posts

109 months

Friday 19th April
quotequote all
vikingaero said:
And indeed they have. More and more car parks have the double lines between spaces allowing for a few inches of extra room I quite like Q-Parks - bright, clean, modern and wider lanes to drive around and enter/exit. Sure the older car parks are tight, but do you really expect them to be demolished and rebuilt just for you?! When I visit towns and cities I use something called The Internet to check out a few car parks nar my destination. Try it, it's newfangled! biggrin
When did I say they need demolishing and rebuilt? When did I say it was a problem for me?

The fact is standard car park size has not matched the rate of size of cars and perhaps they don’t need to. New roads and new car parks should be fit for purpose. Like I said we have old infrastructure that’s why many of our roads are narrow and in some cases not that safe as they could be.

I can use the internet thank you very much and I don’t need to google for car parks spaces. Something I don’t fret about and can park my car in very tight spaces without issue.

I get what you said but your patronising tone was uncalled for.

DonkeyApple

55,377 posts

170 months

Friday 19th April
quotequote all
LuS1fer said:
I hate big fat SUVs.
Because they're tall which makes them take up more of the parking space?

DonkeyApple

55,377 posts

170 months

Friday 19th April
quotequote all
272BHP said:
Purosangue said:
mind you someone has a sense of humour ...Aston is quantum Silver parked up and came back to find this nice Alfa parked next to me
Clever parking by the Alfa. If the parking spaces are narrow then park next to something expensive and shiny and preferably at the end so the other side is protected as well.
Yup. In a full car park finding a corner space with a certain type of car next door is about as good as it gets. The risk however is that the owner of that car leaves before you do and if towards the back of the car park you might be safe from the potato people who need to park as close to the disabled spaces as possible but you are a sitting duck for the angry bloke in a clunker who loves nothing more than to park as close as possible to deliberately cause hassle as that will give them a fleeting glimpse of some kind of happiness.

Nothing really betters having the correct car available for parking among the people.

lancslad58

549 posts

9 months

Friday 19th April
quotequote all
CrgT16 said:
vikingaero said:
And indeed they have. More and more car parks have the double lines between spaces allowing for a few inches of extra room I quite like Q-Parks - bright, clean, modern and wider lanes to drive around and enter/exit. Sure the older car parks are tight, but do you really expect them to be demolished and rebuilt just for you?! When I visit towns and cities I use something called The Internet to check out a few car parks nar my destination Try it, it's newfangled! biggrin
Aren't you the clever one, you do realise the images aren't updated every day..

When does Google Maps update satellite images

Satellite images are updated according to how often they change. For example, more frequently changed areas (cities, metropolitan areas) are updated every month. Accordingly, unpopular places will keep the same view for months or even years. This trend is applicable to Google Earth and Google Maps in Satellite view mode.

So the quick answer is: Satellite view maps are updated every one month to 10 years (according to Google Earth and Maps user reviews). There are a lot of factors that affect the frequency of updates.

Edited by lancslad58 on Friday 19th April 08:17