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#Post#: 74396--------------------------------------------------
Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: Songbird Date: March 20, 2022, 2:31 pm
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Great little diner in my neighborhood has the worlds worst
parking lot. It’s tiny, it wraps around the building, there are
16 spots. Traffic can move in only one direction and there’s no
room for anyone to pass.
So I entered the lot — no empty spits on that side of the
building, no empty spots behind the building. No empty spots
on the other side of the building … but I see a couple with a
baby about to get into their car. A blue compact.
So I decided to wait for their spot.
While I was waiting, another car pulled up behind me and started
honking,
At this point the couple had finished bucking their child into
the car seat, and they were about to get into the car
themselves.
The driver of the car behind me got out of her car and told me
to move my car so that she could exit the parking lot. I told
her I was waiting for a parking spot, and indicated the spot
where the family was about to leave.
She couldn’t pass me in order to leave the lot, and she was
frustrated. But the only place for me to go would have been to
exit the parking lot, drive back to the entrance, and hope that
the parking spot was still available when I got back.
The blue car pulled out of the spot before the woman from the
car behind me got back into her car. I parked my car and she
exited the lot.
The whole encounter, from the movement she pulled up behind me
until the moment I parked my car, took less than five minutes.
So … wa I rude for expecting her to wait less than five minutes
so I could park? Or was she rude for expecting me to give up a
parking space so that she could exit the lot?
#Post#: 74398--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: Isisnin Date: March 20, 2022, 3:33 pm
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Nope, you were not rude. That's the nature of parking lots - a
lot of stopping and waiting.
If the people in the other car knew that the other car was about
to pull out and so you were most likely waiting for their spot,
they were rude to keep after you. Maybe they thought you were
double parking for take out? In that situation, the take out
people should get out of the way.
#Post#: 74412--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: LifeOnPluto Date: March 21, 2022, 6:20 am
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You were fine, and not rude at all. The woman in the car behind
you should have used her brains and realised that you were
waiting for a spot to open up. Did she not see the parents
buckling in their child, and getting ready to leave?
Also, did you have your indicator on? That should definitely
have given the woman the wake-up call that you were planning to
enter a parking spot!
#Post#: 74415--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: Jem Date: March 21, 2022, 9:05 am
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I don't think the OP was rude exactly, but I also think the
other car had reason to be irritated. Given the size of this
parking lot I think the OP made a reasonable choice, but I
personally really don't like it when people "wait" for someone
else's parking spot. I don't like being rushed out of my parking
spot (and I REALLY don't like it when people are "waiting" but
actually are too close and preventing me from backing out) and I
don't like waiting behind someone when I am also either trying
to leave or park myself.
If I were the OP I would have driven out of the parking lot and
found parking on the street (if possible) and walked rather than
"waiting" for five minutes (that's a long time, in my opinion)
and causing a backlog in the parking lot.
#Post#: 74416--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: IWish Date: March 21, 2022, 9:11 am
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I'm going to differ. I think 5 minutes is too long and is a bit
inconsiderate. I'm assuming it was closer to 5 minutes.
I have no problem waiting a few minutes (not 5) as long as I can
see that the person in the parking spot is actively trying to
leave (putting their seatbelt on, etc.)
#Post#: 74418--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: Rose Red Date: March 21, 2022, 10:06 am
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I'm confused. How long did the car behind you wait? It sounds
like they pulled up behind you just as the driver in the parked
car was getting into the driver's seat, but then you question if
you were rude for expecting them to wait for 5 minutes.
You are not rude if nobody is behind you until last minute, but
I agree 5 minutes is too long a wait time to be behind you.
#Post#: 74419--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: BeagleMommy Date: March 21, 2022, 10:51 am
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I don't think you were rude. Ironically, a diner near me has
the same type of set up. Tiny lot, limited spaces. Regulars
know that you will either circle the lot to find a spot or wait
behind someone who's found someone pulling out of a spot.
#Post#: 74420--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: lakey Date: March 21, 2022, 11:27 am
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I don't think anyone is in the wrong here. This is just one of
those situations where there is no great way to handle it. I've
been the one waiting for a spot, and I've been the one stuck
behind the person waiting for a spot. If I'm waiting for a spot,
I try to judge how long the people who are leaving might take.
If it takes more than a couple of minutes, drive around and come
back. I lived in an area where there were some popular beaches,
so this was a big issue on hot, summer days.
#Post#: 74422--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: NFPwife Date: March 21, 2022, 11:53 am
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If the car behind was waiting for five minutes, you were rude.
It's unreasonable to hold up traffic flow beyond a minute, max.
In similar lots/ parking situations I'd wait for a spot until a
car pulled up behind me. If the person leaving the spot hadn't
started pulling out by then, I'd move on.
If I'm the one getting in the car to pull out, I don't care for
the pressure of someone waiting behind me and I really hate when
someone trails me to my car when I'm leaving an establishment to
get my space.
(Thank you for reminding me of one more reason to love our EV.
If someone tries to trail us now, there's a high probability
they aren't "eligible" to park in the space we had. Much of the
time we're either actively charging at a space or in a space
designated for EVs only.)
#Post#: 74434--------------------------------------------------
Re: Parking lot etiquette…was I wrong?
By: Aleko Date: March 22, 2022, 4:00 am
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If I’m prepared to wait five minutes or longer for someone to
finish faffing about loading their shopping and child and pull
out of a parking space, that’s up to me. But I have no right to
create an obstruction, keeping other drivers prisoner while I
wait. If they can’t get past me or take another way to the exit,
I’m obligated to drive on and release them; and if that means
that the space might not be there when I circle back, that’s my
tough luck. It wasn’t my personal property.
So I’m afraid I come down on ‘rude’.
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