By Brenda Boykin
Alderson
Parking
I hate it when I see people park where they shouldn’t. It is totally self-centered, disrespectful, and inconsiderate of others. In some situations it is even dangerous. The same applies to those that park diagonally taking two spaces instead of one.
When I see someone parking diagonally as if protecting their vehicle, I guess they don’t understand they are accomplishing nothing. I could still hit one corner or the other if I pulled in beside them because I am being distracted by the way they have angled their vehicle. It looks like they are making the statement to stay away from their vehicle as if they or the vehicle are special. On second thought, the driver is “special.” Their vehicle is no more special to them than my one and only car that it took me years to pay for is to me. It is because I don’t want to wreck my car that I try not to hit them and I am sure others feel the same.
Another favorite of mine is the people that park at the front door of an establishment where there is no parking space. What gets me is they are younger able bodied people doing this. They create a spot closer than the handicap space. If they don’t get some exercise, their next spot will be the handicap zone. At the local grocery store I have seen the employees having to go out of their way around these vehicles to get the groceries to a customer’s car that is legally parked.
I can’t believe the people that park in the fire zone. If they have some special skill so they know there will not be a fire, they should market that skill and then they could hire a chauffeur to drop them off at the door.
Getting back to the handicap spot, I watched a teenage girl, alone, park in one the other day and put makeup on before going into the store. There was nothing on that car that indicated she was handicapped. If she thought her makeup would run if she walked any further, then she needs to buy another brand.
I love waiting on men backing their trucks into a parking place. They don’t think my time is as important as their time apparently. They have already nailed their space and are making ready for the fast get away. I think it takes as long, if not longer to back into a space as it does to back out of a space. It is hard enough for me to get a fairly close parking space, without them holding me up and someone else getting the one I was after.
Of course some of this could be solved if we had “Don’t Feel Like Walking” spaces. I would make use of that myself some days and I am sure other older people would appreciate a break once in awhile. My daughter’s knee gives out sometimes and it would work in her case. It could be used by the self-centered, inconsiderate people that park where they shouldn’t and their disregard for others would not be so obvious.