parking space too small for average car

parker7531

I hear you regards paying but after paying I consider it my civic duty to get the spaces widened if I can. If it is not possible to do this I'll just put it down to another of life's injustices but I feel I should do what I can to stop others being caught in the same trap. Any ideas?

Stroma

You have virtually no chance, private parking is unregulated so there is nothing in place that you can use to force this. Basically a parking bay on private land is a pretty pattern on tarmac, and that's it. Which means its a shame you missed the opportunity at popla.

Iceweasel

I stopped at the brand new, 'state of the art' Motorway Service Area at Cobham yesterday.

The parking bays there were too small for me to exit the car without opening my door hard against the next car.

So I didn't do that - I had a look at the 'parent & child' bays, and parked there along with several other car owners who didn't want their doors dented.

Most of the parent & child bays were occupied by transit vans and the like - as they have no chance at all in getting into the normal bays.

parker7531

No ideas on getting the spaces widened then?

MrsE_2

Iceweasel wrote: »

I stopped at the brand new, 'state of the art' Motorway Service Area at Cobham yesterday.

The parking bays there were too small for me to exit the car without opening my door hard against the next car.

So I didn't do that - I had a look at the 'parent & child' bays, and parked there along with several other car owners who didn't want their doors dented.

Most of the parent & child bays were occupied by transit vans and the like - as they have no chance at all in getting into the normal bays.

The spaces in the Bittoms car park in Kingston are awful. When I have to park there I find a double spot so I can get out my car door & pray I will be able to get back in when I return, also Epsom multistory is bad from memory.

4consumerrights

parker7531 wrote: »

No ideas on getting the spaces widened then?

Dear Parker7531

I have read many threads where parking bay sizes have been complained about and these predatory parking companies issue charges just even when one wheel has been over the line.

In one case I'm aware of a driver parked her car in such a manner due to other parked cars, when she returned to her vehicle - the other cars had gone, her car was just over the bay and a parking charge notice issued! IMO parking charges in these cases can be construed has entrapment.

I agree with you that this is a situation that needs looking into. The provision of parking spaces is a commodity service just like any other.
The provider must take basic steps to ensure basic concepts are met. One of these is being FIT FOR PURPOSE (MSE's Martin will love me for say this!). Providers have a legal duty to ensure that the parking bay has enough accessible room to ensure car doors can be opened without causing damage to parked cars in adjacent bay. Drivers are also legally obliged under terms of car insurance to behave in a manner as to not inflict damage to other cars.

I would suggest that first points of call could be your local Trading Standards department and the OFT - if you could obtain photographic evidence of how these spaces infringe each other - so much the better.

ILW

parker7531 wrote: »

Thanks again for replies. It's not a council cp, it's privately owned. If armtrac can get £64 or £104 instead of £4 per car in this way they have a strong incentive to lay this sort of trap. If there is no minimum size for a car parking space does it mean the lines could legally be, say 4 foot apart?

If your car is too big for the spaces, park elsewhere.

Umkomaas

ILW wrote: »

If your car is too big for the spaces, park elsewhere.

Another Deliciously Dedicated Diehard MoneySaving Devotee's helpful post.

What does your acronym of a name stand for ILW? I Love Winking perhaps?

ILW

Umkomaas wrote: »

Another Deliciously Dedicated Diehard MoneySaving Devotee's helpful post.

What does your acronym of a name stand for ILW? I Love Winking perhaps?

Can you fault the logic? I contend the advice is very helpful and if followed would save a lot of problems (and put the hated parking companies out of business).