Parking in circles

Parallel parking is a challenge which “drives” people crazy. A few cars have the ability to park on their own. But only a few own the few cars. I am not one of them. The last time I parallel parked a car was for my driving license test. I have never done it after I received my license. It makes me wonder why it is being tested in the first place. 

Nevertheless, car parking is an adventure by itself. If you are travelling to a big city for work or sightseeing, you are bound to face difficulties in finding a parking slot. Our forefathers did not see any reason to provision for parking space when they built the big cities. They didn’t have cars back then but they should have still planned for it – they are called “forefathers” for no simple reason. But innovation has led us to multi-level car parks. If you sit back and think, the very idea of parking a car in a multi-storey building sounds funny. Which statement makes sense – “I stay in the 7^th floor” or “I park my car in the 7^th floor”? Basements are for cars, not the upper floors. But multi-level car parking exists, and we  use them.

We recently decided to enjoy the wonderful flowers at the Philadelphia Flower Show. There are multiple parking options near the Philadelphia Convention Center. But to be safe, I decided to book a parking slot in advance. If you sit back and think, the very idea of booking a car parking slot in advance sounds funny. Which statement makes sense – “I booked a flight ticket in advance” or “I booked a car parking slot in advance”? Nevertheless, I was confirmed a slot and it gave me peace of mind. When I reached the building, I was half expecting someone to hold a placard reading “Welcome Santosh”. There was no one – just a gate with a place to scan my proof of booking. It was a challenge getting the bar code beneath the scanner – someone with a funny bone must have designed the scanner. The only option was to get down from the car and place the bar code beneath the scanner – always a tricky thing to do when you the car is standing in an upward incline. Forgetting to activate the parking brake could be costly.

The interesting part came next - the round and round way to find a parking slot. For every floor where there was no parking slot, you have to drive through a narrow spiral taking you to the next level. This tests your driving skills and this should be part of a driving license test. Of course, to save space the spiral will be as narrow as possible. I expected a parking slot to be reserved in my name. But I had to find my own slot. In some cases, you see the reverse light in a parked car on and you stop for the parked car to leave the slot. Of course, the parked car will take its own sweet time to exit resulting in a traffic jam. If you sit back and think, the very idea of a traffic jam inside a building sounds funny. Which statement makes sense – “I was stuck in a traffic jam near the city center” or “I was stuck in a traffic jam in the second floor of the car park”. Anyways, I did park my car and we had a fabulous time at the flower show.

Recently, I had to park my car at a railway station and catch a train. I was again going in circles in the parking area – this time on a flat surface. However early I reach the parking area, there are always “other people” before me who take up all the parking slots. If I reach by 6:10 AM, the “other people” are there by 6:05 AM. If I reach by 6:05 AM, the “other people” are there by 6 AM. I was so frustrated going in circles in search of a spot that I was about to go back home and skip office. If you sit back and think, the very idea of missing office because of no parking space sounds funny. Which statement makes sense – “I missed office because I was very sick” or “I missed office because I couldn’t find a parking space for my car”? Nevertheless, I was able to park and go to office that day.

The real challenge in driving a car is not parking the car but finding a space to park it. The driving license test should test someone’s skill to find a free slot instead of focusing on parallel parking. I am sure you will agree.

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