Parking and Driving the Cheeses me off!

[Arnold]

Some (most) people just don't think.

The driver of this car said they were "forced" (by the car in front!) to park the way they did, leaving "dead" space behind them for not much at all.



I pointed out that, even if a car in front has parked awkwardly, it's still best to park with your own rear axle adjacent to the signpost so that when the other car leaves, order would be restored and the maximum number of cars would again be able to park.

It's like parking closer to the larger of two cars rather than the smaller so when the small car leaves, more cars will be able to fit the space.

What cheeses you off (apart from people telling you how to park)?

[Arnold]

Here's the other things that cheeses me off . . .

The driver of the red car wants to turn left and prefers to turn into the the left lane which is chockers. Rather than using the vacant right lane and merging, they hold up all of the cars behind them, who usually catch the next red light.


I saw a car hold up a mile of traffic, most of it wanting to go straight ahead, because they steadfastly refused to turn left into the kerbside lane (because it was a bus lane) to let the cars behind past. They could have used it for a couple of metres just to let everyone past but just sat there because the center lane was full and they could not conceive of sitting in the bus lane for a minute then merging.

And two more:

Pedestrians who don't wave a lone car through ahead of them when waiting at a pedestrian crossing and insist that the car stop for them rather than glide past; and

Bus drivers who enforce their right of way when pulling from the kerb even when they can see there is only a single car that has to pass them.

Speaking of buses, there's the empty bus that overtakes the crowded bus that pulled into the bus stop first (because it is on the same route as the bus that stopped). Can't these guys figure it out between them and have the empty bus stop?

I think that's all.

So to all of you bus drivers out there . . .

[Arnold]

Oh, yeah, and then there are the drivers in slow-moving traffic who do not signal (flash lights) for an oncoming car to turn right in front of them even though they can see that the right-turning car is holding up a mile of traffic.

In Italy, drivers seem to display courtesies such as this far more often and are far more pragmatic in their approach to driving. They also park almost anywhere but in a manner that shows they are very conscious of how precious the limited parking spaces are.

Italians (and many other European drivers I imagine but can't recall as clearly) are also much more forgiving of other drivers' errors and generally only use their horn to warn. They also tend not to have a conniption if you make manoeuvres with margins that would alarm many Aussie drivers and take into account the need, when entering heavy traffic from a side street, to be a little . . . aggressive!

Then there are drivers who STOP or almost stop at roundabouts even though maintaining their former speed would have allowed them to safely pass in front of cars already on the roundabout. Europeans know how to use roundabouts. Most Aussie drivers seem not to have much of a clue or simply don't care.

I think that's all, apart from drivers who brake(!) when you momentarily get too close to them instead of letting you manage the distance by yourself. Although I do admit I am trying to conserve my own brake pads...

[Ozram]

Happy now you have got that lot off your chest?

3 posts and all are whingeing about other drivers.

Relax, count to ten and you'll still get to your destination without feeling stressed when you get there.

Either that or take the bus

[THE_EGG]

I have to admit, one of my most hated things is when I'm in a traffic jam and the car in front leaves a huge gap between them and the car in front of them. Then they roll forward - probably being an automatic car so it's no dramas for them. Or worse when they just crawl when all the other cars are stopped. This then leaves me left having to use the biting point on the clutch which then gives that lovely burning clutch smell.

[Arnold]

I have to admit, one of my most hated things is when I'm in a traffic jam and the car in front leaves a huge gap between them and the car in front of them. Then they roll forward - probably being an automatic car so it's no dramas for them. Or worse when they just crawl when all the other cars are stopped. This then leaves me left having to use the biting point on the clutch which then gives that lovely burning clutch smell.

Yes, any unnecessary gap especially when it means cars behind are prevented from using the left turn filter while the daydreaming drivers are sitting at a red light in front of them . . . most thoughtless!

[Hillbilly]

The worst ones are those who sleep at traffic lights and leave huge gaps between them and the car in front when they take off.
Especially when turning right.
Dont know how many times Ive missed a light when had everyone kept up I would have got through no trouble.

[brad]

Arnold, you need to move out of the inner city. The first photo looks perfectly fine to me. I park my Octy behind the swede. Where is that? Glebe or Redfern?

[Arnold]

Arnold, you need to move out of the inner city. The first photo looks perfectly fine to me. I park my Octy behind the swede. Where is that? Glebe or Redfern?

Neither.

If the Mazda had been aligned with the post as it could have, there would have been space for 3 cars instead of two.

Get it?

A lot of thoughtless people park with their rear axle beyond the start (or their front axle inside the end) of the parking zone , unnecessarily consuming valuable parking space.

[Lemonskin]

Yeah, there are some dumbass drivers out there. Not much you can do, unless you want to wind up on A Current Affair on one of their Road Rage specials