Driving wrong way in supermarket car park

Rover_Driver

Chopper_Read wrote: »

Possibly yes, but if the driving isn't careless and it's not a crossing, what's the offence?

It would depend on the circumstances of the incident, if the driving was considered to be careless or without reasonable consideration for other road users, that would be the offence.

prowla

lil_old_me wrote: »

Today by accident I was in Tesco and accidentally drove the wrong way down one of the "one way" lanes. It was too late by time I pulled out of space to rectify and so I continued to drive down the wrong way and then pulled out at the end.

There are cameras everywhere in the car park, could I get a ticket for this?

No - you were just being a bit absent minded and ignorant.

I once had an argument with somebody who nipped in in the opposite direction and dived into a space in front of me - her son got a bit angry with me.

Hintza wrote: »

If they laid out the parking spaces in a herring bone pattern then this wouldn't happen. Don't worry about it, I never notice the arrows much these days.

Yes! I don't know why they don't do this - the yanks do.

I sometimes think that if I had my life again I would start a political party aimed at (a) implementing diagonal parking bays and (b) putting paving on all parks and fields that have a well-trodden path through the grass.

Aretnap

You would be convicted of careless driving if your standard of driving fell below that excepted of a competent, careful driver. What is expected of a competent, careful driver in a given situation would ultimately be a matter for the magistrates to decide. They would be free to decide that a competent, careful driver would anticipate a pedestrian stepping out onto a zebra crossing in a supermarket car park, even if it wasn't marked out exactly like one on the road covered by the pedestrian crossing regs.

londonTiger

its private land not public road so the rules dont apply. its a mild annoyance, no real safety risk as the speed limit is 5mph. also sometimes the exits just there maybe 20 ft away but the road markings would like you to go around, circle the entire car park to use the same exit - when nobody is around I've driven the wrong way a few times - but only when no other cars around and there's unlike to be any obstructions.

Chopper_Read

londonTiger wrote: »

its private land not public road so the rules dont apply. its a mild annoyance, no real safety risk as the speed limit is 5mph. also sometimes the exits just there maybe 20 ft away but the road markings would like you to go around, circle the entire car park to use the same exit - when nobody is around I've driven the wrong way a few times - but only when no other cars around and there's unlike to be any obstructions.

It's a public place so some rules do apply.

Mrs_Imp

27col wrote: »

If car parks did have herringbone parking then there would be no incentive to drive the wrong way, Because if you did you would find it almost impossible to park. A car park near us was recently refurbished and herringbone parking introduced. Only trouble is that you have to reverse in. Absolutely ridiculous! If you have driven straight in then, when you want to come out, someone would always stop and let you do so. Because it means that they ould easily drive straight into the space that you have vacated.
You almost never see a surface car park in America that does not have herringbone parking.

What's wrong with reversing in to a space? I see two advantages of doing so:
1: You don't have to stand in the road to get your shopping in the boot
2: You drive forward out of the space giving you greater visibility for traffic on the road.

I'm always surprised by how many people drive forwards in to a space to be honest.

Chopper_Read

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

What's wrong with reversing in to a space? I see two advantages of doing so:
1: You don't have to stand in the road to get your shopping in the boot
2: You drive forward out of the space giving you greater visibility for traffic on the road.

I'm always surprised by how many people drive forwards in to a space to be honest.

You can't put your shopping in the boot?

interstellaflyer

londonTiger wrote: »

its private land not public road so the rules dont apply. its a mild annoyance, no real safety risk as the speed limit is 5mph.

But real traffic regulations don't apply do they so why would anyone be adhering to a 5mph speed limit? Anyway, if my local Tesco car park is anything to go by 25 to 30 would be more likely on the perimeter roads and up to 20 mph down the roads where the parking bays are so definitely a safety risk.

interstellaflyer

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

What's wrong with reversing in to a space? I see two advantages of doing so:
1: You don't have to stand in the road to get your shopping in the boot
2: You drive forward out of the space giving you greater visibility for traffic on the road.

I'm always surprised by how many people drive forwards in to a space to be honest.

To a point I agree, I generally reverse into parking spaces, however far to many Supermarket car parks seem to have been designed by people who never need to use them ie if you reverse in, you have to then pull out of the parking space so you can load your shopping into the boot.

photome

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

What's wrong with reversing in to a space? I see two advantages of doing so:
1: You don't have to stand in the road to get your shopping in the boot
2: You drive forward out of the space giving you greater visibility for traffic on the road.

I'm always surprised by how many people drive forwards in to a space to be honest.

How do you load your shopping in the boot, I hope you arent one of those who push their trolleys between 2 parked cars and then scraping one of them (wouldnt be your own of course).

It happens a lot