How big should a parking space be?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

South West Trains to repaint Southampton Central carpark after commuter Jago Lawless proves spaces are too small.

From the Southern Daily Echo

PARKING BAYS at Southampton Central station are going to be repainted and made wider by train operator South West Trains.

The move comes after a New Forest man successfully quashed a parking fine after he proved the spaces at the busy car park were too small.

Jago Lawless, 46, was dismayed after being slapped with an £80 penalty notice because his new car overlapped the lines by two inches of one tyre.

The naval architect, from Dibden Purlieu, had been driving his new Hyundi i10 for the first time before he parked at the station.

[continues]

[Bmblbzzz]

Double whammy. Cars are getting bigger and we have more of them. A problem for car parks, but they can be extended or built multi-storey (or underground even), or restrict numbers by increasing charges, so have ways of dealing with it; a bigger problem for roads, especially residential streets.

[LiskeardRich]

If a Hyundai i10 was too big my Zafira Tourer would have no chance!

The i10 is one of the smallest cars on the market!

[didcotdean]

Cars have been getting wider for comfort and safety. Provision for them in car parks, on road parking, even garages of modern houses have not been.

A friend of mine some years ago came back to the Foxhall car park at Didcot Parkway to find it was impossible to get into his car as he couldn't open any doors wide enough because of the overhang of cars parked on both sides of his and he had to wait 3 hours for one of the owners to come back. I think the current markings have widened the spaces out somewhat though.

[Tim]

Our house was built in 1949.  When we bought it it came with a greenhouse.  The greenhouse has an inspection pit in it (full of plant pots, spiders and slow worms).  I asked the vendor why and was told that he had build the greenhouse on the base of an old garage.  The old garage must have been tiny and there is no way that even a small modern car could get down the path between us and next door to access it.   Evidence that cars are indeed getting bigger (and more reliable - not many modern motorists need their own inspection pit)

[Bmblbzzz]

Besides, who keeps their car in a garage nowadays? Even a modern garage which is big enough for a modern car. I reckon there are four reasons for this: cars are larger, specifically wider; cars are less rust-prone; cars are harder to steal; we have far more general junk which we keep in the garage.

[patch38]

Although, if you do garage your car, it reduces your insurance premiums.

But - as you say - that would mean getting rid of all the junk. And I'm still sure it will all come in useful one day.

[ChrisB]

People are inherently lazy generally and the 'can't be ar*ed' factor is quite large.

[didcotdean]

Although, if you do garage your car, it reduces your insurance premiums.

Actually now at least with some insurers at least it costs you more - because of the dings and scrapes some people get with large cars that have difficulty fitting in.

My car is always in the garage - but I agree it seems to be well in the minority these days. Handy though for a quick early morning get away in January when it is still -7C outside, as it often is in Oxfordshire.

[LiskeardRich]

Although, if you do garage your car, it reduces your insurance premiums.

But - as you say - that would mean getting rid of all the junk. And I'm still sure it will all come in useful one day.

Made no difference to mine. cars insured as on the street.

[paul7575]

There's a BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) report here, looks more like a cockup than conspiracy, the bays are at an angle and it looks like the bloke who must have marked them out hasn't done any basic maths, because he has got the width between the intersections right, (apparently at 2.4m) but hasn't accounted for the angle:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-39037547

Would you expect the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) to double check the measurements, or rely on a supposedly skilled contractor?

Paul