150 cars too big for modern parking spaces
Discussion
BoRED S2upid said:
Great idea to have extra large spaces just for these crazy big SUVs and charge them double but no doubt they would try and squeeze into the normal sized bays to save a few quid.
My car fits in a standard bay, I'd be perfectly happy to pay double to have a bay that's larger and has maybe some sort of barrier separating me from the next car. I just don't trust anyone to park correctly or to open the doors/let thier kid open the doors near my lovely car. LunarOne said:
Considering that GVW is the maximum permissible weight of the vehicle and its load, are they going on maximum permissible weight or are they going on actual weight? I can't think of many cars where the GVW doesn't exceed 1500kg. If we allow 80kg per human, and another 80kg for luggage, then that's 400kg of load, so no car weighing over 1100kg including fuel and fluids may park there. Mental!
A Hyundai i10 has a GVW of 1470kg, a VW UP 1320kg. But don't go and try to park a Ford Fiesta there, as it has a GVW of 1690kg. So, yes other than a few very small cars, you're not allowed to park anything remotely modern in Plymouth!!
Unladen weight would make more sense, which would allow cars up to around Golf/Focus sized whilst excluding big saloons/hatchbacks and most SUVs.
One wonders whether this issue is being exacerbated by people also getting bigger. The sight of a larger driver desperately clinging to the door frame and pulling with all his/her might in an effort to rise from the driving seat is an increasingly common one. Such persons wouldn't stand a chance without the doors fully open. How do they manage when that isn't possible?
LunarOne said:
ex-devonpaul said:
scenario8 said:
Is that restriction correct and not simply a misunderstanding/typo? Max vehicle weight 1500kgs gross? What’s the justification? Assuming it/they are “normal” car parks that’s absurd.
Should it read 3500kgs GVW and somehow the signs were made incorrectly?
You can flick the timeline and see the sign has been there for years.Should it read 3500kgs GVW and somehow the signs were made incorrectly?
Residents' permits have a 3500kg limit but it probably dates back to the 1970s as an attempt to stop vans using it. I'd guess it came across from when Plymouth came under Devon Council and nobody ever got around to amending it.
ex-devonpaul said:
Not just SUVs, all cars have got wider and longer.
There are some odd rules the Councils could employ if they wanted to make a few quid.
In Plymouth and Devon (so probably elsewhere) there is a 1500 kg weight limit on several public car parks..
https://goo.gl/maps/kAPhqQTfBWdWiGxf7
I wonder how many of them have got car chargers in - and would that be entrapment?
Looking at the four lines at the bottom, does that car park close at 13.00 or does the 2 hour limit and no returning in the next 5 hours apply until 13.00?There are some odd rules the Councils could employ if they wanted to make a few quid.
In Plymouth and Devon (so probably elsewhere) there is a 1500 kg weight limit on several public car parks..
https://goo.gl/maps/kAPhqQTfBWdWiGxf7
I wonder how many of them have got car chargers in - and would that be entrapment?
matchmaker said:
Lengthwise my Superb takes up an entire parking bay. Widthwise it fits okay.
Mondeo Estate plus towbar is similar. Some spaces are very tight and allow only doors on one side to be opened.I suppose that there is no human right to drive a long & wide car, though. Arguably, manufacturers are producing cars that don't fit their environment.
In truth, I mostly prefer using our Fiesta, unless the bigger car is needed. It is easier to find a street parking space too.
Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 28th August 18:54
Daston said:
Then you have stupid modern car parks like this.
40 odd less spaces than before and all of them smaller than before, plus a stupid high curb 1/4 into the space meaning anything other than an SUV sticks out of the parking space.
Oh and don't get me started on all the EV spaces that never have a car in them.
Disabled spaces often seem major over kill too. 40 odd less spaces than before and all of them smaller than before, plus a stupid high curb 1/4 into the space meaning anything other than an SUV sticks out of the parking space.
Oh and don't get me started on all the EV spaces that never have a car in them.
gazza285 said:
LunarOne said:
It always boggles my mind how big cars actually are. When I think of a "small" car, say a Fiat 500…
This is the issue. Cars have bloated.
Cars aren’t getting any smaller. Car parks just need to catch up and developers need to stop being so greedy
Vsix and Vtec said:
My car fits in a standard bay, I'd be perfectly happy to pay double to have a bay that's larger and has maybe some sort of barrier separating me from the next car. I just don't trust anyone to park correctly or to open the doors/let thier kid open the doors near my lovely car.
Letting kids open doors or more likely not letting / stopping them opening the doors is tough. The number of times I’m running round the car stopping them from opening them too far and dinging the car next to ours. Hasn’t happened yet thank god but they are quick. 
Seems to me that car manufacturers make what people want....bigger cars..it is not often you see a new model being reviewed and that they say it is x inches narrower or y inches shorter. We still buy them.
Have to say though that next time I change car, I may go for the model down as that is probably the same size as my current steed. Going bigger still is just too big to easily live with. Perfect in use...4 people, luggage, medical kit and 2 large sports bags with 50kg in them. Pain when it comes to leaving it anywhere.
However, how can developers be encouraged to change? If they can only fit 20% less spaces on a plot by making them large enough...they won't do that unless they charge a premium. They are not keeping pace with trends. Multistorey will struggle.
Have to say though that next time I change car, I may go for the model down as that is probably the same size as my current steed. Going bigger still is just too big to easily live with. Perfect in use...4 people, luggage, medical kit and 2 large sports bags with 50kg in them. Pain when it comes to leaving it anywhere.
However, how can developers be encouraged to change? If they can only fit 20% less spaces on a plot by making them large enough...they won't do that unless they charge a premium. They are not keeping pace with trends. Multistorey will struggle.
gazza285 said:
LunarOne said:
It always boggles my mind how big cars actually are. When I think of a "small" car, say a Fiat 500…
This is the issue. Cars have bloated.Just wouldn’t be feasible to release a four seat car that tiny, and even if you could it’s not really safe enough.
Point being, it’s not superminis that are too big, would say the current 500 is the right size, the originals are small and a bit s
t to be honest having had two of the heaps. I did fit in them and could drive them quite happily but a crash that would be airbag going off and a claims form would be serious injury or death.It’s SUVs and stuff that have got way too big, I know most say they need all that space, but I do think a lot of it is overkill, but I’m not into banning stuff, just getting people to make the right choice. They didn’t exist until the 90s for most, always makes me laugh when someone announces they are having a child and go out and buy a 2.5 ton tank of a car.
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