Friday Fun - How big is yours?

When you park on a road, how big a gap do you leave between wheel and kerb?

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I have a bit of an OCD thing for parking on roads, I have to be within about 1cm of the kerb BUT not actually touching it.  The ideal gap for me is so I can just get a piece of paper between wheel and kerb.

Does anyone else share this need?

Replies (32)

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By ireallyshouldknowthisbut
26th Jul 2019 10:30

Judging by the rims on my car, my wife aims for about minus 1cm when driving my car, but seems to miss it when driving hers.

#everydaysexism

I dont care so long as no-one is going to clip my wing mirrors if I am hanging out too far.

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Replying to ireallyshouldknowthisbut:
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By SouthCoastAcc
26th Jul 2019 11:27

we have the same wife!?

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By Maslins
26th Jul 2019 10:36

Surely depends on the width of the road (and potentially of the pavement).

A really wide road, you can leave a couple of feet gap, no harm done. A narrow road, sticking out means losing your wing mirror. A very narrow road you might block it completely if not on the pavement.

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By SteveHa
26th Jul 2019 10:40

Of course, a narrow road and a narrow pavement could mean losing your other wing mirror to a pedestrian trying to get past. Especially if that pedestrian is me.

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By Maslins
26th Jul 2019 10:58

Hence why in those situations the pavement width is vital too!

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By cathygrimmer
26th Jul 2019 10:44

Not if you have a car with wing mirrors that fold in when you lock the car!

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By Accountant A
26th Jul 2019 10:46

Answer to both: 12 inches.

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Caroline
By accountantccole
26th Jul 2019 11:34

I keep switching between my car and my hubby's. I have no idea where the back of either of them is. Drove flat backed Zafira's for 10 years and these have boots. Terrified of dinging them so am currently parked about 18 inches from the wall at work!

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
26th Jul 2019 14:17

FYI the back of the car is behind if you are sitting in driving seat.

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By SteveHa
26th Jul 2019 15:08

It tends to be behind if you are sitting anywhere in the car.

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
26th Jul 2019 15:21

what if you are sitting on the boot though.

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By SteveHa
26th Jul 2019 15:36

I did say "in the car", as opposed to "on the car" :)

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
28th Jul 2019 15:31

Not in the back two seats of the Merc 300 Estate I used to have years ago, great fun for the kids on a bumpy road.

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By Justin Bryant
26th Jul 2019 11:50

I must confess that most the time I park so perfectly well it is a real shame to have to drive off again - a bit like how those highly artistic sand sculptures sadly get washed away in the end.

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By Tim Vane
26th Jul 2019 11:49

Well I used to live in London, where parking on the pavement is illegal so I always used to park as close to the pavement as possible given the indifference of Londoners to smashing off wing mirrors. Now I live in the sticks, so I don't care and can be anything up to a foot away if I feel like it and my wing mirrors are always still there when I come back to the car.

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By 356B
26th Jul 2019 11:55

The law allows you to park up to 18" from the kerb, so why not use it. (But not in my car)

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FT
By FirstTab
26th Jul 2019 12:08

I use lamp posts.

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Tom McClelland
By TomMcClelland
26th Jul 2019 12:13

On a related note, the thing that really burns me up is people who park about 10ft from the front or rear end of a multi-car marked parking area. What can they be thinking? (Don't answer)

You see it all the time and it is utterly selfish reduction in the effective length of the space and the number of cars it can hold, to no benefit for the person being selfish.

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ghm
By TaxTeddy
26th Jul 2019 12:44

I miss the time when I had a 4.6 litre Range Rover (I swear there was a thunderstorm under the bonnet) which, frankly, I could park anywhere I liked. Literally.

If I recall, even the handbook just said "park anywhere mate, no worries". Possibly.

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By LostinSuspense
26th Jul 2019 12:56

5 metres, depending on the width of the road. Or do you mean the nearside curb?

If so, then 5 metres..

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
26th Jul 2019 14:18

I like to rub up tight against it.

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Quack
By Constantly Confused
26th Jul 2019 14:48

Thanks all :)

Yes I used to park on a narrowish road so got used to hugging the kerb, but I find now even if there is plenty of room I still hug the kerb, I think it's a habit now...

I think my logic is that if I park like that and get dinged, then it was 100% the other car's fault, whereas if I am six inch off the kerb I'll feel it wouldn't have happened if I had parked nearer.

Also, TomMcClelland, I got home last night and found someone had parked such that he was taking up enough of 2 of the three spaces near my house that I had a choice, either park behind him in the end space (and leave a foot of my car hanging over the end of the bay) or park in front of him (and straddle 'my' space and the neighbours).

I opted for the latter, but stressed that the car would leave and I'd look like an inconsiderate idiot who had parked over 2 spaces.

I hate people who take up more than a space (unless if it moot - where I am this morning is a space for two and a half cars, so a bit of spilling over doesn't matter).

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By Piltdown Man
26th Jul 2019 15:43

I always leave 6", but my wife tells me its less than that.

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By ColA
02nd Aug 2019 10:04

More than 0 and less than 12 inches.
As a kid I judged the competence in driving inversely to skill if I could ride between vehicle and kerb.

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By KateR
02nd Aug 2019 10:22

My late husband used to get a bit annoyed by what he called Hxxxxxx parking (after the town where we live)- so far away from the kerb "you'd need a taxi to get to it". One old lady (long gone now) would just abandon her car in the middle of the high street if she couldn't find a parking space.

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Lone Wolf
By Lone_Wolf
02nd Aug 2019 10:44

6 inch gap max - any more than that and you've abandoned the car in my opinion.

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By Vile Nortin Naipaan
02nd Aug 2019 11:35

If you return to your car and it is adorned with a sticker or tape bearing the words "Police aware", you have either not parked close enough to the kerb or you have parked in someone's hedge.

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