There's a good chance that you won't find this in your drivers education handbook. You will find perpendicular parking (when you pull your car into a spot that is at a right angle to the flow of traffic), and you will find parallel parking (when you pull your car into a spot that is in the same direction as the flow of traffic)... but perpendicular parallel parking (aka PPP)?!?
Only drivers of the Renault Twizy or Smart TwoFour should even attempt this. I saw this Twizy 2-seater jammed in between two vehicles a few months back, and was reminded of the advantage of such a tiny car in the city. In this case, the spot was so narrow that I don't even think a Smart would have fit... and if it had, it would have been impossible to open the doors. The advantage of the Twizy is that the optional doors are of the 'scissor' type, and therefore don't require any space to the side to open.
In the past I have already written about the Twizy, and while I consider that it has some pretty serious shortcomings when compared to regular small cars, there are also many benefits, including this obvious parking one.
So next time you're parking in a city in Europe, don't forget to leave a little space for those PPP people! They'll certainly appreciate it!
The nice weather is here, I think I'll have to pull out my TwizyWay pass and rent one of these again, I'd like to go for a longer drive to see just how livable the Twizy is for everyday use.
ReplyDelete