Multi-Storey Car Parks
When I lived in Manchester I had a annual permit to park in the Charles Street multi-storey car park, near Manchester Piccadilly train station. This Multi-Storey Car Park was built in the 1960’s when people were driving around in Mini’s and Ford Anglias and other small cars. Consequently the parking bays were quite small.
I used to work late as a Research Associate and come back in again around 10:00 in the morning. So a lot of the time the car park was pretty full by then. One time, after driving around, up and down the levels for about ten minutes, I found the only space left was next to a car that had probably been parked there the night before by some drunk guy because it was parked at a really awkward angle so the “empty” space was pretty much taken up as well by this car, which was why it was still, ostensibly, vacant.
At the time, late 1990’s, I had one of the original Volkwagen Polo’s, quite a small car so I was just about able to park it in the awkward and confiined space. But I did have to park at an awkward angle myself to get it in. Anyway, when I came to drive away later in the evening the drunk guy had obviously come and collected his car and the car park superintendents had left a note on the windscreen of my car to say that “please could I park more thoughtfully in future, and if I parked like that again then I would be charged for two spaces”. Grrr!
