May 1, 2012

  • The Stress of Parking Lots

    I own an 85' Trans-AM and it's probably one of the worst cars to park near other cars. Unlike newer vehicles, the doors feel considerably heavier and much more in length. As a result, I can't just pick any parking spot in the parking lot without considering the possibility of hitting another vehicle. My driver's side lock is messed up, so I have to unlock the driver's side by crawling through the passenger side; it's not a difficult task because I am considerably flexible compared to some guys my age, but that requires space on both sides of the vehicle. As you can imagine, I tend to stay away from parking spots that are closer to buildings -- the reason, of course, is because people usually park closer to buildings because it requires less walking and less time. I don't blame people wanting to walk less and waste time walking through the parking lot, but the determination that some people have of getting a close parking spot is embarrassing. On two occasions, I've witnessed cars try to fit into tight spaces and ending up scraping against the car at my college. The first time I've witnessed it happen, I called my campus security and they didn't do a damn thing about it. In fact, the parking lot didn't even have security cameras. When I was walking towards Target, I watched a woman squeeze into a tight parking space to the point that she probably scraped the entire side of the car. The other person's car was over the line, a bad parking job, but I didn't stand around to witness her trying to get out of the vehicle while the door was against the other car's door -- I'd imagine that she had to climb through the passenger side, or through the sunroof. 

    I know a couple of my friends who own handicap papers that you put on rear-view mirrors: these are the same people who can run a mile, play a long game of basketball, or anything else physically challenging without a problem.

    I don't claim to be the most physically fit person, the best car parker, or anything else...but I've never completely understood the importance of getting that close parking spot.

    I always park at a distance; in fact, I walk about a good 3 or so minutes in a parking lot to get to my class from my usual parking spot. I park far away because traffic gets bad the closer you get to school (not very surprising), and people usually don't park next to me. When people do, they always keep a good distance away. Last semester, I parked on the top of a 3 deck parking lot. I guess you could say that I'm anti-social when it comes to parking close to other cars; it's not because I'm afraid of people hitting my car because I've had it happen before and I know that, at some point, it's going to happen again. The reason why I park away from other vehicles is because I spend less time looking for a parking space, I risk hitting a car less, I get a little bit more exercise and sunshine, I can see my car from a farther distance so I won't forget where my car is, and I give the people who really need a closer parking spot a chance at getting it (but even that's debatable for every individual). I'm 22 years old; my health is only going to get worse if I don't eat healthy and exercise. I eat poop and drink carbonated acid as a diet, and my exercise routine (at the moment) is walking during work and walking to class. The least I can do for myself is park a little bit further away so I can walk a little bit further.

    If someone asks the question "why are so many Americans obese?" This is one of the reasons...we don't like to walk. In the movie "Supersize Me," the guy had to walk less as part of his diet to help gain weight; no surprise there. I'm 210 pounds and 5'8. I used to be 230 pounds when I worked out, but now I'm just a blob. I'm not saying that I'm not perfect, but I just don't understand how people can get away with scraping up against each other's cars, sometimes 15 to 50,000 dollars, all for the sake of spending a couple minutes less of walking. I think it's the stuff like this that can really make a difference in America (I don't know about other countries because I've never been outside of the country) if we be a little bit more responsible and proactive in parking lots. 

    Have you ever witnessed someone hitting another car for the sake of getting a close parking spot? If so, how did it make you feel? Do you think that America needs to change its habits more than its choices for food consumption?