Did you notice that parking places are getting narrower and narrower and at the same time cars bigger and bigger?

For job and family related reasons I often go by car during the week. I don’t have a bad conscience for my CO2 foot print because of it, as I otherwise try to be careful about natural resources. I sort, compost and grow my own vegetables.

During the week I have to park the car at various places. Often it happens that I arrive and only one place is left in the underground garage. And that one is certainly so narrow with columns right and left, so that I get a bad feeling by just thinking of parking into that small parking place without causing damage. But there is no choice. The car park is full. And I manage. Over and over again. The last time I slightly damaged my car was 22 years ago.

Every now and then, when I really have time, I give up. I don’t force myself into that little parking place where I can get on and off the car only when holding my breath. I (environmentally damaging) drive around until I find a large and comfortable parking place. Mentally I then feel better and I am spared sweating.

One can see the many black marks on the grey walls of the underground garage. Witnesses of failed efforts. Is this a gender-specific problem of missing three-dimensional vision? I don’t know.

Recently it happened to me twice that I had to get into the car from the passenger’s side. The car, which had parked next to me, had just left space for a contortionist who manages to open the car door and get on and off the car through a 10cm gap. I‘m not a contortionist and my size 38 simply did not fit into that tiny gap. Thus I had to climb over the passenger seat. And with a tight skirt that’s again an adventure for itself. Did humans really become so egoistic that they don’t think of their parking neighbor? It looks like it.

I plead for more respect when parking!