Help me re-learn how to park
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Birds' eye cameras are fantastic. We had one in our previous car and I didn't realize how reliant I had become until we no longer had it. I've had similar issues when trying to park in Vancouver, where the wide roads, big parking lots and wide spaces you find in the US aren't very common. What helped me was to practice, and use every guidance tool available. So yes, try backing in using your backup cameras. Do they have side and back warning lines? You'll get used to what they actually mean. In my case, the red line is a good 8-12 inches away from the wall/column or whatever, so I've learned how far I can really stretch it to get my car in, and most importantly, not to freak out if my red line approaches a wall. Practice makes perfect.
Also, take your time and just glare at people who are annoyed with you. If you're totally freaked out, pull back out, drive around and find another, less crowded parking spot.
The other advantage to back-in parking is that it's much, much easier to pull out and go home! I back in almost everywhere now for that reason.
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@Nina said in Help me re-learn how to park:
your backup cameras. Do they have side and back warning lines?
Yes! It's very easy to use!
Yep, I prefer to back in and then pull out. That is the norm in Japan, so between the fact that that's how I parked every day for 12 years, and the fact that my current car has the backup camera, I'm much more comfortable with that.
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Get that finger ready to respond to critical onlookers
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When I was in a high school driver’s education class, the instructor put traffic cones stored in the car’s trunk onto a parking lot and we, three students per car, would take turns practicing parking. I don’t know where you can get traffic cones.
I have a narrow garage so I have to be super careful when entering and exiting my garage. I’d like for my next car to have a feature called “four wheel steering” (4WS). Some of the 1990s Mitsubishi GT3000 models had this feature. There may be other car makes and models that have 4WS but I haven’t been keeping track. It makes a car more maneuverable to steer and especially in tight spaces.
The outside rear view mirror is a feature that I’d like to see go away for good. Because outside mirrors protrude from a car, they’re vulnerable to damage. Cameras can take the place of the outside mirrors. I think Japan allows cars to have this feature. It’s probably just a matter of time when U.S. cars will have 4WS. Most cars already have a back up camera with the monitor screen in the dash.
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@Qaanaaq-Qaalaaq said in Help me re-learn how to park:
I don’t know where you can get traffic cones.
We have some! I think we bought them at Lowes.
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Thought I would give an update.
Parking is going well so far. IOW I haven't hit anyone or anything yet.
First of all, I found out that we are required to pull in when parking in campus spaces, so that the parking attendants can easily scan the cars' license plates. Fortunately, I found this out before my first day parking on campus, bc apparently they give tickets if you park back-in.
re the actual act of parking.. what I'm noticing is that, as I'm parking, I feel very nervous and don't trust where I am in the space, but when I open the door or get out to check, there is more than enough room on either side of the car and I don't need to reposition.
But so far I have only parked in spaces where there are no cars on either side. So even though I suspect I'm maneuvering the car in a way that means I'm not going to hit a neighboring car, I'm still too scared to risk it!
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Then there’s a device called a “curb feeler”.
A curb feeler is an aftermarket device that some people used to attach to their car’s passenger side fender. They’re passe now. I haven’t seen one in decades. It’s a long thin flexible metal coil that jutted out from the lower fender. If you got too close to a curb or anything else, it would make a metallic sound to let you know you were too close.
Passenger side outside mirrors cause some distortion because they’re convex shaped glass.
Outside mirrors stick out too far. Whenever I back up, I turn my head and look out the back window in addition to using the interior and exterior mirrors. This was an expensive lesson for me. Once when I was backing out of the garage and turning the car’s wheels, my outside mirror hit the steel track that the overhead garage door uses and cracked the mirror. I had to buy a whole new mirror assembly.
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@Qaanaaq-Qaalaaq said in Help me re-learn how to park:
a “curb feeler”.
I have a vague recollection of those!
But yeah, passe. I would be embarrassed!
I'll try to just recapture the skill, and sense of the car, that I used to have when driving was something I did every day.
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I just now read this thread. I can identify! I am terrible at pulling into parking spaces. This old 2010 car has sensors that beep when you get close to something, at varying intensity. But no cameras.
I am the jerk who somehow parks diagonally between the vertical lines.
And don’t get me started on parallel parking! At least I have learned how to park close to a curb, judging by distance of windshield sprayer nozzle from the curb.
I think this is why I prefer bicycling.
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@RealPlayer said in Help me re-learn how to park:
And don’t get me started on parallel parking!
I have not parallel parked in probably 20 years.
I think this is why I prefer bicycling.
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Once, in my salad days, I parallel parked a Ford pickup connected to a 16’ travel trailer on a hill in downtown San Francisco - on the first attempt! Bystanders applauded when I got out of the truck.
I doubt I could do it today.
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@Steve-Miller I can’t believe I learned to drive in San Francisco. On a stick-shift. It was thrilling to be stopped at a light on a steep hill and start rolling backwards when the light changes.
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@Steve-Miller wow! And yikes for having to do that in the first place!
@RealPlayer I never learned to drive stick. But I remember one of the first lessons was being told that cars will do that, so to leave a little room at stop lights.
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When I bought my Kia Niro, I was looking for a shorter car to use in our urban setting. I must admit to getting a sense of accomplishment squeezing into spots that barely have any room in front or back!
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@RealPlayer said in Help me re-learn how to park:
@Steve-Miller I can’t believe I learned to drive in San Francisco. On a stick-shift. It was thrilling to be stopped at a light on a steep hill and start rolling backwards when the light changes.
I remember the first time I encountered a "hill" (for Chicago) at a stop light. I was a rookie driver in my Dad's 66 Chevy Impala with three on the tree. The guy behind me pulled up fairly close so I had not much room for error. The car had a foot brake, so I couldn't try the old "set the parking brake and ease off slowly as you let out the clutch and hit the gas" trick. I'm proud to say I managed to get the car moving forward smoothly without rolling backwards. Or killing the engine.
I miss driving a standard transmission.
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@Rontuner said in Help me re-learn how to park:
Kia Niro
Interesting. I googled photos and from what I can see, the photos make it look like this car has a pretty big footprint.
Of course, I drive a Honda Fit, so my idea of small is skewed!
BTW I googled these cars' dimensions and wheel bases. No surprise that the Fit is smaller than the Kia Niro. But what's really funny is how much smaller the car I used to drive in Japan was!
Kia Niro 14.5'
Honda Fit 13.5'
Subaru Pleo 11'
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Honda Fit was on the list when I was looking, but the Niro fit my tall sized back seat riders better and the hybrid pushed the choice in that direction. I normally get 50+ miles/gallon (when temps are moderate, I get over 60mpg) except for highway trips, then closer to 45mpg.
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I find it so interesting that backing into spots isn’t allowed! Government employees in Ontario are apparently required to back into parking spaces. Our school tried to enforce that and then someone realized that we weren’t actually considered government employees so they can’t require it. I was thrilled because I am terrible at backing into a parking space!
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@Rontuner said in Help me re-learn how to park:
the Niro fit my tall sized back seat riders better
I had to read this several times -- I assume you mean you have tall people who sometimes ride in the backseat?
@dolmansaxlil said in Help me re-learn how to park:
I find it so interesting that backing into spots isn’t allowed!
It's because they want to implement license plate scanning to make parking enforcement more efficient. But this state is one of those idiot states that doesn't require license plates on the front of cars. Which I think is absolutely ridiculous. There are other more important reasons for having plates on the front, but this is an additional one.
Re pulling in vs backing in, it's actually verging on chaos around here, because the city is apparently going to change the laws downtown so that only backing in is allowed. People are very upset about it. And then if campus parking is pull-in only, well, it gets very confusing very fast.
Government employees in Ontario are apparently required to back into parking spaces. Our school tried to enforce that and then someone realized that we weren’t actually considered government employees so they can’t require it.
I was thrilled because I am terrible at backing into a parking space!
I get it, given my recent experience.
But in Japan, back-in is the norm, and it's so much safer.
Can you use a back-up monitor to help?
