Can a pedestrian "save" a parking space?

[PRINCESS VIJA]

This comes from a local news story, and I am wondering if you think pedestrians can save spaces...

I saw on the news last night that in a mall parking lot, a lady noticed a spot, jumped out of the car and claimed the spot and waited patiently for her 80 year old (grandma or mom I can't remember) to get to the spot. Another car came along and the car lady yelled at the space saving lady to move. the space saving lady would not so the lady in the car used her car to "bump" her out of the spot. (ie HIT her with a car ) The space saving lady now has a bruised leg.

Was the space saving lady wrong? I can't believe the car lady HIT her either!!! crazy, crazy, crazy...

 

[jrmasm]

both are wrong and nuts!

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

WOW, in reality I think its inappropriate for this woman to hold the space, but it happens all the time around here when it snows. People always shovel their car out then leave things like lawn chairs in their place to hold it.

I definitly think the driver of the car that hit the woman was very wrong. He is probably now facing a lawsuit. He should have just called the cops or something to get the woman to move. Dumb move on his part!

 

[Jennasis]

IMO they are both wrong. The lady should never have touched the woman with her car and I'm sure there will be a lawsuit following this...but the moron should never have tried to hold the space in a crowded mall lot. That's just asking for trouble. People have actually been shot/stabbed over parking space issues. This time of year is deadly in the mall parking lots!

 

[yeartolate]

I think the space saver was wrong , but obviously, you don't hit a person to get a space.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

I actually had this happen to me years ago. It was the busy holiday season and I was looking for a spot at the mall when I came upon a woman standing in the middle of a spot. I rolled down my window and asked her if she could please move and she told me she was saving the spot for someone that was making their way over to it. I was like...OK. I cant imagine that anyone would hit someone standing in a spot with their car! That is outrageous. Some people have very short fuses and its scary. On the other hand I dont think its right to just stand in a spot to hold it.

Its kinda like first come first served. No car? Move along. The other day I was waiting online at my local dairy barn( drive up mini mart) when a man walked up and asked if he could cut me! I thought it was funny to walk up to a drive thru but I did let him go and he was appreciative.

 

[*JoGo*]

I wouldn't want to park there anyway -- I'd be worried that the Space Saving Lady would damage my car (key it, deflate tires, etc) once I got out and went into the mall/store.

 

[mytwotinks]

I think the space saver was wrong , but obviously, you don't hit a person to get a space.

Sometime you just have to say to yourself "what a jerk" and move on with your life. Saving the space is totally jerky, but now a crime. Hitting somebody with your car is probably frowned upon by the judge that will probably be hearing this case!

 

[Ginamarie]

Well, under the rules of the road, pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way (for obvious safety reasons), so even if the space saver shouldn't have been there, the driver of the car should have moved on and looked for another space. It's never ok to drive into a person!

 

[va32h]

When I was a kid (in the 70's) we'd go to the mall or shopping center, and park out in the boonies - start heading to the mall and walk past a great space. My mom would have all us kids stand in the spot while she moved the car.

I don't remember anyone trying to run us down, but we were embarrassed, that's for sure. People would walk by and we'd just be....randomly standing in a parking space!

To this day we'll all tease our mom about it - if we walk past a better parking spot we'll threaten to make her save it for us.

But no- I wouldn't really do it, and I'd be annoyed if someone else held a space that way. But not enough to run them over.

 

[Beth76]

I doubt it's illegal to stand in a parking space. Is it right? Who knows. I'm sort of inclined to think, "hey survival of the fittest--she had a good idea". The person in the car was absolutely wrong, however, to even touch that lady with the car. If anything she could have just sat there in the car blocking the space from the other car. But then that just goes into a battle of wills--whoever is willing to sit there the longest waiting for the space.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

They are both wrong. That happens around here a lot. It's dangerous to stand in an open spot. Especially if it is next to a larger van. You can't see the person standing there behind the van.
The two bigger malls around here have huge parking lots. Even around the holidays there are spots. They might be quite a distance from the doors but there are spots. People still circle for hours finding "better" spots. They could have parked in the far spot and walked to the doors and back 3 times by the time they fight for a "better" spot.

WOW, in reality I think its inappropriate for this woman to hold the space, but it happens all the time around here when it snows. People always shovel their car out then leave things like lawn chairs in their place to hold it.

I can understand this a little. Last winter I had a neighbor (who knew that I cleared out that spot myself for myself) stole my spot. These people were just rude to begin with. They didn't clear out their own spots so they stole mine. They also didn't shovel the sidewalk so I had to park in an uncleared (now icy) spot and walk on an icy sidewalk to get home. Oh, and I have severe asthma so clearing out that spot was a difficult task. So I can completely understand why people would save their cleared out spots. Thank goodness those neighbors are now gone so hopefully I won't have to deal with that again.

 

[CEDmom]

Who wants to bet there was another spot 5 cars away ? People are crazy about having to park in the closest spot.

 

[yeartolate]

Sometime you just have to say to yourself "what a jerk" and move on with your life. Saving the space is totally jerky, but now a crime. Hitting somebody with your car is probably frowned upon by the judge that will probably be hearing this case!

I would love this case to go on Judge Judy. She would give it to them both,

 

[cardaway]

I doubt it's illegal to stand in a parking space. Is it right? Who knows. I'm sort of inclined to think, "hey survival of the fittest--she had a good idea". The person in the car was absolutely wrong, however, to even touch that lady with the car. If anything she could have just sat there in the car blocking the space from the other car. But then that just goes into a battle of wills--whoever is willing to sit there the longest waiting for the space.

I think that's the only thing that can be done. If the person has to stand in the space to save it, they obvously are not the car that was in line to get that space. The car that is in line should just refuse to move. In the cases I have seen it would be worth it. Just hold your ground at let peer pressure take its course. The person standing in the spot will realize eventually that they are in the wrong.

 

[RitaZ.]

Is this equivalent to saving a spot for a parade at Disney?

They both sound wacky.

 

[Charade]

Both were wrong but the spot holder started the whole mess. Some people just boggle my mind with what they think they should be allowed to do.

Just last week while getting on Test Track I was first in line to go into the waiting room and if you've been there, you know to head for the exit doors right away. That's what I did. Now I didn't jam myself up against the door but was about 2 feet from it. 3 teens who came in near the end of the group (there weren't that many because it was the single rider queue) managed to squeeze themselves in between me and the door!! Buttheads.

 

[mommaU4]

This is truly nuts.
I mean, what the heck is wrong with people these days????

 

[Gigantor]

 

[Mom2Ashli]

Both are wrong.

But I just can't image bumping someone with my car.

I also can't image standing in a spot telling someone else they can't park there.

In Sam's parking lot this weekend. There was a car waiting for a guy to back out. Which he was taking his sweet time in doing. So I go around the guy waiting for the spot and park two spots away (there were several to choose from), got out of my car and was heading towards the front door before that guy was able to park in the spot he was waiting for. All that not to walk an extra few steps.