Parallel Parking

"CB" (jrcb)
05/05/2015 at 15:00 • Filed to: None

It sucks. Super bad. Although this was my first attempt at it in probably a year. Not too shabby. Here’s hoping my G test goes well tomorrow! Anyone have tips for before a driving test? (Yes, I’ve been practicing a fair amount, but I want to hear what you guys have to say)

DISCUSSION (39)

Xyl0c41n3 > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:05

Don’t forget to breathe. Just try to stay relaxed. And don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do fantastic!

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:06

Looks like a pretty nice job. One tip is to tip the side mirror of the curb-side down to the ground so you can see where the curb is. No wheel rashes and you can get it very close to the curb. Some cars automatically do it.

Edit: Just saw this is for a driving test. They might not let you do that (not sure since I didn’t do that for my test). Just go slowly and feel when the car’s tires hit that dip between the curb and asphalt. That’ll let you know you’re within the correct distance without hitting the curb.

thebigbossyboss > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:07

I have never taken a G test, but when I took my test in BC they make you shoulder check every lane change, even when turning right.

CB > AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC
05/05/2015 at 15:09

Cars automatically doing it sounds pretty rad. And we fortunately have parking mirrors, which allow me to see lane lines and the curb without having to adjust my mirrors.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:10

Don’t get intimidated. Think of it like those tests you dreaded in high school. If the test I anything like the G test in Ontario, (do you live in Ontario?), its a joke.

So, keep your wits about you, skim the hand book one more time, and don’t get intimidated. That’s my two cents.

Have a box of crankshafts and a Capri in a blanket.

Kinja'd!!!

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:12

Yeah it’s a godsend when parking downtown areas. Except when a Prius decides to get deep into the spot in front of it so it’s essentially taking up 1 and a quarter spots and you thought it’d be a good idea to use it as a reference point for the length of the parking spot. Then you have to embarrassingly get back into your car and move it back 3 feet to avoid being an ass.......or so I’ve heard....

CB > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
05/05/2015 at 15:14

Oh, it is the G test. After this, I become a fully licensed driver. I have no idea where my old driver’s ed handbook is, but I think I’ve got the majority of the laws down. Thanks for the advice!

Also, you’re in Kingston, right? You should come up to an Ottawa event sometime.

Moves-Like-Senna > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:14

Looks pretty good - the only thing for the test and what I do in general since sometimes they ticket the whole street is to turn the wheels towards the curb (if it’s flat or down hill) or away from the curb if it’s up hill.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:16

I am in fact in Kingston. Once I’m employed and mobile again, you can count on it.

CB > Moves-Like-Senna
05/05/2015 at 15:16

Also, turned towards the curb if there is no curb!

Moves-Like-Senna > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:21

I actually went to get one of my friends car’s and he got a ticket for that haha. He didn’t have his wheels turned even without the curb. I represented him in court (not a lawyer but very law savvy) and it was argued that even without the curb it’s less likely for the car to come back into traffic and create more accidents.

ttyymmnn > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:22

Like any other driving skill, parallel parking gets rusty when you don’t do it every day. When I was a young driver, living with my parents, we had no off-street parking. Parallel parking was the order of the day, and I had to do it just about every time I parked. Thus, I got very proficient at it. I could nail it even in spots that were only slightly larger than my car, usually on the first try. I was back home visiting recently, and I found that my parallel parking fu had left me entirely. I sucked at it.

Taking a driving test can be a nerve wracking experience. Just try to ignore the guy in the right seat and focus on what you know how to do. But think of how many terrible horrible no good very bad drivers are out there, and remember that they all passed their test. Seeing your work around here, I’d wager that you are a careful, thoughtful person who takes driving very seriously. You should do just fine.

BTW, that’s a superb job of parallel parking in that photo. Just remember to leave your wheels straight when you’re done.

CB > ttyymmnn
05/05/2015 at 15:29

Thanks man, I really appreciate that. Also, when did you change your picture? I haven’t been on much in the past week.

CB > Moves-Like-Senna
05/05/2015 at 15:30

Did he get out of the ticket?

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:31

Atta boy, now try it in an ambulance ;)

ttyymmnn > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:31

I changed it for the playoffs. I’ll put it back to Lego Schumi after the Hawks lift the cup in a few weeks.

Moves-Like-Senna > CB
05/05/2015 at 15:42

Nope, he had to pay since even without the curb it’s law here to prevent additional accidents. It’s actually impossible to win where I live (98. something % conviction rate for traffic infractions). I’ve been lucky to win 3 of my own tickets but that’s out of about 25 in 2.5 years.

CB > thebigbossyboss
05/05/2015 at 15:45

That’s probably to look out for cyclists. Damn cyclists.

CB > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
05/05/2015 at 15:45

Hah, I have nowhere near the amount of skill that you must have.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > CB
05/05/2015 at 16:18

Don't curb it like that, you will fail automatically—better just to go as close as you dare and take the hit on points if your too far out. I never had to parallel park on my G, luckily.

Watch your speed, esp. on the G test. After you've had the G2 for a while 40k is almost impossible, even in a shitbox that can hardly get out of it's own way, and which was chosen for the test for that very reason. If you do get over, leave the brakes alone if possible or you will draw their attention to the speedo; just coast it out. Also they appreciate smoothness, which is another way coasting down helps.

Google to find the route that the tester will take, and practise it a few times before you go do the real thing.

From here on I'm just spouting personal experience, I came back up here to warn you so you don't waste your day.

At the end of the day, it depends on who you get, and who went before you. Drivetest has quotas to meet. They must fail a certain # of applicants. If everyone before you was good, you might just get scratched because it was your turn, then again if they were bad, it could have put the tester in a bit of a bad mood. It takes all kinds, and you will find all of them at as examiners. First time around for G2, I had someone who I was at ease with and I aced most things, but she freaked out when I went to change lanes and grabbed the wheel, then failed me because she "had to" "assist". Second time around, got someone who made me really uncomfortable, and I was sure I failed. Actually, from his comments, I was kind of surprized he hadn't cut my license in half by the end of the test. I passed. Moral: don't take it too hard if you fail. And if you do, book your next try for midafternoon on a friday. Little traffic, and on the highway everyone is so laid back that you're actually passing at around 90k, which means you can actually merge onto the highway safely without failing.

CB > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
05/05/2015 at 16:21

It actually isn’t curbed, although the angle of the photo makes it look like it is. And thanks for the advice.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > CB
05/05/2015 at 16:23

No prob.

Sam > thebigbossyboss
05/05/2015 at 16:55

You mean you don’t shoulder check every lane change anyways?

Funktheduck > Moves-Like-Senna
05/05/2015 at 17:07

How do you get so many tickets?

thebigbossyboss > Sam
05/05/2015 at 17:16

I do not. Nope.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > CB
05/05/2015 at 17:32

Don’t get too tense about it. It’s just like driving with your mom, only an ugly, less talkative version.

Parallel parking is something that you need to practice to figure out a way to do it that works for you. If you have a method that mostly works for you already, don’t try to find another at this point because it’ll just confuse you. So long as it doesn’t take you five minutes, you don’t hit another car, and you don’t drive onto the curb (nudging it with a tire is probably okay with the tester, but not the best idea for the tire) you should be fine.

Moves-Like-Senna > Funktheduck
05/05/2015 at 17:53

Police target - I’m a competitive road cyclist and half the tickets were dolled out by one cop who along with 2 others are now fired after I was hit by a cruiser no lights running a red to block me for no reason.

> If I go when the pedestrian lights say go instead of traffic’s green, it’s a ticket X3

> If I jump the light at all (crossing the stop line even), red light ticket X2

> If I go faster than the posted speed limit for cars on a road (it varies based on the part of town and hard to keep up) it’s a ticket - speeding X 7

> If I go over 12MPH in a bike lane (even 13mph) - ticket X2

> Hogging the road - basically I’m supposed to ride within a foot of parked cars. I refuse to do so for my own safety. Being doored sucks and being crushed between cars suck so I keep up with traffic and take the lane X4

> Jay walking X2

> Not stopping at a stop sign - I always stop but I don’t put my foot down, I hold my position or creep about 1 inch per 30 seconds. One cop wanted me to put my foot down X1

And the list goes on. I obey the laws to the extent of my safety. Bicycle vs cars, I’ll always lose, hence why my safety always comes first. All my speeding violations are within 1.5MPH of the speed limit but one (caught doing 56mph in a 25mph zone by a speed camera at 4am). Oddly, I’ve never had a ticket driving and I’m what my friends call an enthusiastic driver...

Manic Otti > CB
05/05/2015 at 18:10

No matter how good I think I get at it, sometimes, I’ll still fuck it all up once in a while. Also, if you can’t fucking parallel park on a steep hill without hitting the car in front of you, don’t do it, especially if it’s my car. Had this happen to me twice, of course, no note either time. Fucking dickheads...

Funktheduck > Moves-Like-Senna
05/05/2015 at 19:04

Dang. I know some competition cyclists. They can go fast. They wouldn't get any proper training in going 12 mph. Sometimes they make me mad by deliberately clogging the roads but most of the time they're good. It's the college students that make me mad. They don't follow any laws. They run lights and stop signs. Not slowing down like you, flat out going through them. One guy not long ago nearly hit my car on purpose and several other cars just cutting through traffic. They almost never get ticketed

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > CB
05/05/2015 at 19:10

Ugh the curb... The reason I have to retake my drivers test. Damn you curb! *shakes fist*

Nisman > CB
05/05/2015 at 19:25

Unrelated but that is a clean maxima!

CB > Nisman
05/05/2015 at 19:28

Thanks, but not quite. The tin worm has got to it in a few spots. It’s to be expected for a twelve year old car that sat outside for a lot of winters.

Moves-Like-Senna > Funktheduck
05/06/2015 at 08:45

Exactly! I usually wear my skin suit or a race kit and a couple friends of mine are cops warned me they target guys like me. I thought it was ridiculous since I find competitive/enthusiast/serious cyclists tend to follow the law as we know how much it hurts to be hit by a car.

I completely agree, college students and random joe riding bikes tend to not follow the laws. It’s not that hard and it’s simple, if cars and bikes follow the law we all have less damn issues. It’s also the case for drivers though, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been almost hit on purpose by a vehicle on purpose. Late last year I had a C63 AMG block me in and start crushing me between her coupe and a parked car at an intersection. I was yelling for help and even ended up unclipping and kicking/stomping her the quarter panel/door with my carbon shoes. I caused body damage but she still didn’t stop, thank god a police offers came over and ripped her out of the car.

Funktheduck > Moves-Like-Senna
05/06/2015 at 10:38

Holy crap. I've known people hit from inattentive drivers but never any on purpose.

Moves-Like-Senna > Funktheduck
05/06/2015 at 10:56

I have it happen at least a few times a year and totally sucks. A lot of people don’t seem to understand that a car can kill a cyclist very very very easily. The average car is probably around 4000lbs in my area vs my bike sub 15lbs

Nisman > CB
05/06/2015 at 11:04

Yup. Luckily my 02 spent most of its life in Florida and has zero rust. One good thing about the sunshine state.

Funktheduck > Moves-Like-Senna
05/06/2015 at 11:34

A lot of people don't realize how quickly and easily a car can kill anyone, let alone a cyclist. If they did, I doubt so many people would pay so little attention while driving.

Moves-Like-Senna > Funktheduck
05/06/2015 at 11:41

Exactly! It drives me crazy! I think modern safety also increases lack of attention, you have lane keep assist, distance based cruise control etc however, even just the fact that if you crash, odds are you’ll be fine keep people from realizing that cars are dangerous.

Funktheduck > Moves-Like-Senna
05/06/2015 at 11:49

I was actually gonna say something like this in my last comment.

My first vehicle is/was (still have it) a ‘79 F150. It’s a terrible choice for a first car in a lot of ways (safety mainly) but I think it made me a better and more aware driver. Sure, it has a v8 but it weighs 4K pounds and has a C4 transmission (2 speed plus overdrive). No ABS or traction control. I had to plan out braking and keeping a safe distance. You know how in old movies when someone is driving their moving the steering wheel all over but staying straight? Same type of steering. My ex used to bug me constantly about wanting to drive it. When I finally did she said she hated it because it was too much work and felt old. She was used to her parents’ Toyotas.