Is Seattle a bad place for driving?

Downtown Seattle has a live railroad track that runs through downtown.
It's also got steep hills like San Francisco. In some places you are
required to back up into an on street parking spot with meter. Is
Seattle an unfriendly city? Are the people all mean with big city
atittudes?

wrote:

> In some places you are
> required to back up into an on street parking spot with meter.

Parallel parking ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_parking

Ensure that your desired parking space is about 2 metres (~~6 feet) longer
than your vehicle (although some highly skilled drivers are capable of
parking in spaces that are within 0.3 m (one foot) of their vehicle
length)
Line up your vehicle beside the vehicle in front of the parking space
Signal to the right
Turn the steering wheel all the way to the right and put your car in
reverse
Back up the vehicle so that your rear right bumper is first to enter the
parking spot
Once the vehicle is at 45° to the parking spot, slow down and turn the
steering wheel all the way to the left
Continue backing up until the vehicle is parallel with the curb
Gradually turn the steering wheel to the right to curve your vehicle into
a straight position
Brake once your vehicle occupies the middle of the parking space


You just need to be able to drive properly to do that. I do it every
evening when returning home.

Graham

Pooh Bear wrote:

> Line up your vehicle beside the vehicle in front of the parking space
> Signal to the right

Somebody needs to correct wikipedia... but it ain't gonna be me.

The signal should be applied seconds *before* even *slowing* for the
manuever. I know, I KNOW <b>IKNOWMOTHER****ERSSHUTUP</b>...

....MFFY's won't wait behind you, they'll zoom around you in their quest
to be "first" at the next corner. But hell, you're where you're going
anyway... you should allow a few seconds for the traffic behind you to
do their "You're a mother****ing MFFY
you****ingsonofabitchholdingmeupforafewseconds MFFY pass" and clear,
then proceed.
-----

- gpsman

wrote:

> Downtown Seattle has a live railroad track that runs through downtown.
> It's also got steep hills like San Francisco. In some places you are
> required to back up into an on street parking spot with meter.

Diagonal parking, you mean? From a bicyclist's standpoint, backing into a
diagonal parking place is much safer -- the driver has a view of the oncoming
traffic before pulling out instead of relying on the 'honk' or 'crash' methods.

--
Cheers,
Bev
<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
Some mornings it's just not worth chewing through the straps.

Pooh Bear wrote:

> Parallel parking ?
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_parking
>
> Ensure that your desired parking space is about 2 metres (~~6 feet) longer
> than your vehicle (although some highly skilled drivers are capable of
> parking in spaces that are within 0.3 m (one foot) of their vehicle
> length)
> Line up your vehicle beside the vehicle in front of the parking space
> Signal to the *right*
> Turn the steering wheel all the way to the *right* and put your car in
> reverse
> Back up the vehicle so that your rear right bumper is first to enter the
> parking spot
> Once the vehicle is at 45° to the parking spot, slow down and turn the
> steering wheel all the way to the *left*

> You just need to be able to drive properly to do that. I do it every
> evening when returning home.

You parallel park on the right side of the road? I don't know about the
UK, but parking facing the wrong way on a one way street is usually
against the law.

Arif Khokar wrote:

> Pooh Bear wrote:
>
> > Parallel parking ?
> >
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_parking
> >
> > Ensure that your desired parking space is about 2 metres (~~6 feet) longer
> > than your vehicle (although some highly skilled drivers are capable of
> > parking in spaces that are within 0.3 m (one foot) of their vehicle
> > length)
> > Line up your vehicle beside the vehicle in front of the parking space
> > Signal to the *right*
> > Turn the steering wheel all the way to the *right* and put your car in
> > reverse
> > Back up the vehicle so that your rear right bumper is first to enter the
> > parking spot
> > Once the vehicle is at 45° to the parking spot, slow down and turn the
> > steering wheel all the way to the *left*
>
> > You just need to be able to drive properly to do that. I do it every
> > evening when returning home.
>
> You parallel park on the right side of the road? I don't know about the
> UK, but parking facing the wrong way on a one way street is usually
> against the law.

I think you mean 'on a 2 way street'.

Graham

Pooh Bear wrote:

> Arif Khokar wrote:

>>You parallel park on the right side of the road? I don't know about the
>>UK, but parking facing the wrong way on a one way street is usually
>>against the law.

> I think you mean 'on a 2 way street'.

You're correct; I did. I really should stop posting so late at night

Arif Khokar wrote:

> Pooh Bear wrote:
>
> > Arif Khokar wrote:
>
> >>You parallel park on the right side of the road? I don't know about the
> >>UK, but parking facing the wrong way on a one way street is usually
> >>against the law.
>
> > I think you mean 'on a 2 way street'.
>
> You're correct; I did. I really should stop posting so late at night

Been there done that too ! ;-)

As it happens I left the wikipedia info 'as is ' without adjusting it for UK
usage.

I do actually normally ( and prefer to ) park on the same side as one drives.
The road I live in isn't a one-way street but typical usage makes it almost
so. As a result almost every car parked in it - on either side of the road -
points in the same direction usually.

I'm not sure if it's actually *illegal* in the UK - possibly during the night
but certainly not during the day - but the police wouldn't be likely to
prosecute where there's a good reason for accepted usage.

Graham

Pooh Bear wrote:
>
> Arif Khokar wrote:
>
>
>>Pooh Bear wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Arif Khokar wrote:
>>
>>>>You parallel park on the right side of the road? I don't know about the
>>>>UK, but parking facing the wrong way on a one way street is usually
>>>>against the law.
>>
>>>I think you mean 'on a 2 way street'.
>>
>>You're correct; I did. I really should stop posting so late at night
>
>
> Been there done that too ! ;-)
>
> As it happens I left the wikipedia info 'as is ' without adjusting it for UK
> usage.
>
> I do actually normally ( and prefer to ) park on the same side as one drives.
> The road I live in isn't a one-way street but typical usage makes it almost
> so. As a result almost every car parked in it - on either side of the road -
> points in the same direction usually.
>
> I'm not sure if it's actually *illegal* in the UK - possibly during the night
> but certainly not during the day - but the police wouldn't be likely to
> prosecute where there's a good reason for accepted usage.
>
> Graham
>

I know it's illegal in Detroit (well, Dearborn) at least - girlie got a
ticket for parking the wrong way in front of the house we were living
in. Y'see, she learned to parallel park in Pittsburgh where a) almost
all streets were one way and b) street parking was at a premium; if
there was any space within two blocks of your house, you took it. She
wasn't amused when I explained to her that Pittsburgh was not like the
rest of the world... (although I think both of us wouldn't mind goin
back, were there any jobs to be had.)

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

1/4 of cars parked on wrong side of my narrow 2-way street in Midlands.

Never seen anyone get a ticket for it anywhere in UK.

BUT!!! Getting out is hard if there's a van or other such vehicle
blocking the view of those coming from the front. (you are on their
side)

In US/Canada, obey the law or ...do what other people do.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.:-)

midlant

Pooh Bear wrote:
> Arif Khokar wrote:
>
> > Pooh Bear wrote:
> >
> > > Arif Khokar wrote:
> >
> > >>You parallel park on the right side of the road? I don't know about the
> > >>UK, but parking facing the wrong way on a one way street is usually
> > >>against the law.
> >
> > > I think you mean 'on a 2 way street'.
> >
> > You're correct; I did. I really should stop posting so late at night
>
> Been there done that too ! ;-)
>
> As it happens I left the wikipedia info 'as is ' without adjusting it for UK
> usage.
>
> I do actually normally ( and prefer to ) park on the same side as one drives.
> The road I live in isn't a one-way street but typical usage makes it almost
> so. As a result almost every car parked in it - on either side of the road -
> points in the same direction usually.
>
> I'm not sure if it's actually *illegal* in the UK - possibly during the night
> but certainly not during the day - but the police wouldn't be likely to
> prosecute where there's a good reason for accepted usage.
>
> Graham