Dear Eleanore Turkington:
I am a faithful reader of your column and wonder at the variety of gripes you receive each week. I have been meaning to send you my favorite gripe for some time and today I decided to DO IT!
Most people these days drive a car and most people visit various stores and shopping centers. Unfortunately, there is no way around it; you want to shop whether its food shopping or other necessities you have to use the parking lots the stores and shops provide.
Have you noticed Eleanore, how many of these parking lots in both West Haven and Milford are in very poor condition. Extremely poor patching jobs on cracks, bumps that shake you up as you drive over them and holes full of water following a rainfall.
Now, that I have that off my mind, I’ll get to the real reason for writing to Gripe Vine.
Many people don’t pay attention to the painted arrows on the parking lot’s surface so you end up facing another car head on. Drivers travel much too fast, where most of us move along slowly, either because we’re looking for a parking space or try to heed a decent speed limit to avoid problems.
What I want to know is what are the driving regulations that we should follow when parking in a public parking lot. Thanks Eleanore. Wish me luck on my next shopping parking endeavor.
Just Curious
Dear Just Curious:
I have to agree with you that there are rude, careless motorists. Of course, like in any situation, there are drivers that are respectful and patient; unfortunately the rude motorists outnumber the courteous. However, I did some research on parking lot rules and did come up with some helpful information
According to the National Motorists Association, “The parking lot, a verified concrete jungle of madness, where all the rules go out the window. In reality, the rules of parking lots are pretty common sense, even if they aren’t written in an official handbook.”
The NMA states that parking lots can be a driver’s worst nightmare, but they don’t have to end in so many accidents. Offering these five rules to follow, perhaps there wouldn’t be as many accidents.
Park courteously and don’t try to take up two spaces because you think your car is too good for one parking space. Be courteous in the parking lot and follow the lines, thus allowing the drivers on both sides to park and get out of their cars safely.
Don’t pull up to the curb to wait for someone to run a quick errand. It’s never going to be a fast errand. Instead you are blocking the way for other drivers, as well as confusing drivers and passengers alike. If you’re waiting for a passenger, pull into an empty space and wait for their call.
Putting your blinker on. Two cars will have their rear blinkers on to claim the spot. Using common sense will help. If you see another car waiting for a parking spot before you. Be nice and back off.
Drive in the right direction. People think when you enter a parking lot, normal driving rules do not apply anymore. Other drivers there do care. Follow the painted arrows, if there are no arrows, look at the way the parking stalls are situated. If they are perpendicular to the driving aisle, it’s a two way road. If they are slanted diagonally, look again. If the stalls on both sides of the aisle point inward, it’s a one way road.
Use turn signals. Using turn signals in a parking lot could actually save your life, or at least your parking space.
I hope these suggestions will assist those on their visits to parking lots and help eliminate those rude motorists displaying rudeness to others.
Gripe Vine Readers: My applause for those of you submitting your gripes to Gripe Vine. My desk is getting covered with your complaints and I am happy you care enough about this beautiful city to take the time to write to me. Please keep it up. I am receiving cooperation from the city’s executive assistant to Mayor Nancy Rossi. Louis Esposito. Just to offer you an example, the next paragraph will display some of your complaints that I am working on:
Coming up: modified car annoying neighbors on Prospect Avenue..dangerous pot holes on Swanson Road…Loud noises late at night on Leete Street…tarp roof flapping on Prospect Avenue, disposal trash barrel removed from Ocean Avenue…swimming pool without safety protection..100 year old trees on Highland Avenue questioned..train station “in deplorable condition”..speeding cars and trucks on Main Street…speeding cars on Man and Third Avenue…bad sidewalks on Campbell Avenue near the diner..weeds growin on installed bricks at the Veteran’s Walk of Honor, no lighting at the entrance of Park Garden Apartments on Ellis Street..Late opening on Beachside lots and much more.
Keep those gripes coming in readers. We will get them solved! Send them to [email protected] or mail them to Gripe Vine c/o West Haven Voice, 666 Savin Ave. Please include your name, address and phone number, kept in strict confidence with me.