John> Nope.  The reason is that it’s impossible to park against the
John> direction of traffic without actually driving against the
John> direction of traffic at some point.

So what? If I’m permitted to drive against the direction of traffic (AtDoT)
while passing, what is wrong in permitting me to do the same while
parking?
Besides, simple parallel parking involves some driving AtDoT

   Michal J.

>Nope.  The reason is that it’s impossible to park against the direction of
>traffic without actually driving against the direction of traffic  at some
>point.

>–

Well, hell…

That doesn’t make sense, because I had to drive against traffic
just the other day, when I had to chase a troop of Boy Scouts off
the sidewalk, into a grocery store.

Seriously, what about left turns? To me, it’s kind of the same
principle. I have to cross the oncoming lane in order to get into
my driveway..

– Mike

—————————————————————-
Total opinion and conjecture – Not the stuff an employer would
say.

>    The reason is probably that when you park against the direction of
> traffic, your rear lights, which second as reflectors, are not caught by
> the headlights of on coming traffic, therefore making your car hard to see.
> Turned-off headlights don’t reflect the the headlights of on coming traffic
>  at night very well.

Nope.  The reason is that it’s impossible to park against the direction of
traffic without actually driving against the direction of traffic  at some
point.

–
John Reece                      "This lifeboat is full"      
Not an Intel spokesman                  - Neutral saying in WWII

>Now THAT actually makes sense! I’ve never given it a second thought,
>but it does make some sense. Thanks, Tony!

Picture in your mind the headlamp switch for your car. This switch has
three positions: an off position, a full-on position which turns on the
headlights, and an in-between position which turns on your parking
lights. Ever wonder why they call those things "parking lights?"

It comes from the days when it used to be required by law that your
vehicle have "parking lights" to make it visible to other vehicles while
parked at night. Apparently this is no longer required in most areas
(undoubtedly because most areas have streetlights), but in some areas it’s
still required (I read about it in the Illinois Rules of the Road book). So,
if you want to park "backwards," just turn on your parking lights. No
reflectors necessary.

Now THAT actually makes sense! I’ve never given it a second thought,
but it does make some sense. Thanks, Tony!

– Mike

>In article <19t4acINN…@spool.mu.edu> ja…@studsys.mscs.mu.edu (Jason Hanson) writes:
>>vehicle left of center.  And, you will have to do it again to drive the car
>>away.

>Not true.

>He could have jumped the curb and made a 3 point turn up on the sidewalk.

Which is still an ordinance violation most places (with a probably higher
fine.)  <grin>

>>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
>>to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
>>you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
>>I have always regarded this as the silliest ticket I ever
>>received (even sillier than speeding), because I can’t see
>>any real basis for this law.

>How did you park the car that way?  In order to do so, you must have driven the
>vehicle left of center.  And, you will have to do it again to drive the car
>away.

Not true.

He could have jumped the curb and made a 3 point turn up on the sidewalk.

>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
>to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
>you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.

Yeah.  We got that law here in Australia too.  What they book you for is
"Parking too far from the curb".

Think about it.

>– Mike

Murray Chapman
muz…@cs.uq.oz.au

>You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side
>to the curb. You can park on both sides of the street, but
>you can’t have that driver’s side next to the curb.
>If anyone out there can enli-
>ghten me as to the rationality of this law (aside from its
>revenue potential), I’d appreciate it much.

There are several reasons for this, including pulling out and hitting
someone, but the over-riding reason that this is illegal, not only in
Manassas but elsewhere is the following: At night (or other low-sight
conditions) a little thinga-magigy in the *taillights* called a reflector
reflect light to oncoming motorists. This allows them to see your car
parked in the middle of their route of travel and avoid it. This prevents
a lot of accidents, and thus keeps many drivers happy. These afore-
mentioned reflectors are notoriously absent from the front end of the
car, and thus, in the interest of protecting moving motorists, you are
not allowed to park facing traffic. (There are a couple of exceptions,
such as an 82 Volvo 240, which does have front reflectors)

This is completely outside the fact that on any moderately busy road,
this type of parking would cause accidents.

As inconvenient as I’ve found this law to be, I can see the purpose
behind it and grudgingly accept it. Besides, since it is a residential
low-volume street, you’re not going to lose the only space in three
blocks because you had to turn around.

Ron                          Think about this one (seen on a bumper sticker):
                             The road to hell is bumper-to-bumper
                             Make a U-turn to God.
The irony is priceless.

   >You cannot park your car in the street, with the left side to the curb.
   >You can park on both sides of the street, but you can’t have that driver’s
   >side next to the curb.

       IOW, you must park in the same direction as traffic, correct?

   >Parking left side to the curb could be dangerous, if there were actually
   >traffic to contend with, but there’s not.  To me this seems rather silly,
   >and I had never heard of such a law…

       The reason is probably that when you park against the direction of
   traffic, your rear lights, which second as reflectors, are not caught by
   the headlights of on coming traffic, therefore making your car hard to see.
   Turned-off headlights don’t reflect the the headlights of on coming traffic
   at night very well.

   Regards,
   Tony