Many motorists are complaining that car parking spaces aren’t big enough. Is this really a problem or is the issue due to the size of cars that people are driving these days?
The largest operator of public car parks in the United Kingdom, Park Rite, say that the dimensions of parking spaces need to relate to the vehicles that the space is intended for. The current standard suggests that bays are 2.4m wide by 4.8m long. But lots of todays most popular cars, especially four wheel drive and people carriers, will only just fit into this space leaving no room for doors to be opened easily.
It has been suggested that some car park operators have purposely made their parking spaces narrower in order to squeeze more fee paying parkers into their parking lots. Some of the worst offenders are reported to be certain hospital car parks, some supermarkets and some long-stay airport parking lots. We’ve heard reports of people returning from trips abroad and finding that they are unable to open the drivers door due to the adjacent vehicle being parked so close.
Is the problem due to the size of parking spaces or is it due to the increase in the size of popular cars? A common and popular 4 wheel drive vehicle is the Toyota Rav4. This has a width of 1.815m, without its mirrors. Allowing about 35cm for the width of the wing mirrors brings the width up to 1.85m. In a parking bay of 2.4m width leaving only 0.55m or only 0.275m on each side. Clearly not a great deal of space in which to open the doors and get into or out of the car.
The problem is worse when the car has particularly long doors, as is the case for many of today’s 3 door vehicles. The popular Renault Clio 3 Door, for example, has a width, including mirrors, of 2.025m. In a standard 2.4m parking space this would leave only 0.375m or only about 0.19m on each side for opening the doors and getting into and out of the car.
It looks like the problem is really down to the size of the cars that people are driving so perhaps car park operators need to take this into account when marking out their parking bays.
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Top Tip: Make the most of your trip by spending a night in an airport hotel before your flight. And why not enjoy the hospitality of an airport lounge before you fly.
