If you park on the wrong side of the street... where did you learn to drive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live on a street of single family homes and about 1/4 of the cars are parked the "wrong way." Nobody cares.

Most homes don't have a driveway and those that do only can park one car. Of course, the driveway eliminates a street parking spot so it's a wash. No garages (the horror!).

With cars parked on both sides of the street, two cars can't pass each other. There is no left or right lane - there's just one lane down the middle. It's tight but I've come to like the part where people don't drive very fast and through traffic seems to avoid our street.

My wife often parks the wrong way and she's from Ohio. I compulsively drive around as needed to always park the right way and I'm from Pennsylvania. Not sure if this helps. Did I mention that nobody cares? (except for me and the OP)

Ohio is a trash state and Pennsylvania is much better, so this behavior tracks.

[Anonymous]

Yeah we got a ticket about five years ago for parking the wrong way near Friendship Heights on a side street. I think in DC it’s mostly known to be illegal even on quiet residential streets so people tend to not do it (except for Amazon delivery people of course, who will park anywhere and however they want, usually harmlessly)

[Anonymous]

Of all the absolutely s***-brained and dangerous things people do when operating their cars, this one is about the most harmless. I can’t think of a single reason why this would bother someone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of all the absolutely s***-brained and dangerous things people do when operating their cars, this one is about the most harmless. I can’t think of a single reason why this would bother someone.

In the dark if you approach a parked car parked correctly you can see it because there are reflectors on the back of a car. There aren't any on the front of a car.

We were in Arnold MD yesterday and were shocked how many cars were parked on the wrong side of the street, as well as by the number of boy racers speeding on rt 50.

[Anonymous]

Many people are simply lazy.

[Anonymous]

There are only 2 kinds of people that do this:

1) self-important tech or finance guys who are too important to take the 4 seconds to turn around and park with the flow of the road

2) those who drive beat up cars with expired inspection stickers

[Anonymous]

They are drive-sexual

[Anonymous]

I’ve been parking the “wrong” way in front of my house for years. Didn’t know you can get a ticket for that. Why does it matter, traffic wise? What is so bad about it?

[Anonymous]

I’ve only seen this in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

In my hometown in NJ you can’t even park on the street at all from like 2-5am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's legal in most countries in Europe. Not legal in MD.

+1. I loved this when we lived in Europe. No waiting for cars to do a sketchy u-turn trying to get into a space across the street. I wish it was legal here. The stress of trying to get into a spot across the street in midtown Manhattan is unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2 kinds of people that do this:

1) self-important tech or finance guys who are too important to take the 4 seconds to turn around and park with the flow of the road

2) those who drive beat up cars with expired inspection stickers

I am non of the above and I don't understand what is the need to park with the flow of the road?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been parking the “wrong” way in front of my house for years. Didn’t know you can get a ticket for that. Why does it matter, traffic wise? What is so bad about it?

I'm the same as you but a few comments up I saw this - never dawned on me. Hmm. Coincidence because the place I do this, my BIL didn't even know I was visiting, he didn't see me parked on the street as he pulled in that night and I thought it was odd.

"In the dark if you approach a parked car parked correctly you can see it because there are reflectors on the back of a car. There aren't any on the front of a car."

[Anonymous]

London, England.

[Anonymous]

Decades ago I got a ticket for parking on the wrong side of the street in Narberth, PA, in front of the movie theater. Until then, I didn't even know it was illegal. In my current neighborhood in Alexandria, people park the wrong way all the time. About a year ago all the wrong-way cars got ticketed. Never happened before that and hasn't happened since.