Comments on: Fred Bredemeyer Wins Parking Professional of the Year

By: yankinwaoz

yankinwaoz — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:18:51 +0000

I hope the Aussie readers don’t get all upset. But to be honest, the drivers in Western Australia are the WORST parallel parkers I’ve even witnessed. My jaw drops sometimes when I see someone take 5-6 tries to back into a space that has room for 3 of their car.

I can’t blame them. It is a big state, bigger than Alaska, with only 2 million people. So why parallel park when you have all that room?

By: incitatus

incitatus — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:43:38 +0000

Airhen,

You must travel sometime to Europe and check out how many of these true “American women” leave there. Admittedly, the cars are much smaller in Europe but the parking places are way smaller too leaving inches between the bumpers at the end of the maneuver.
Driving a big rig does not an American make!

By: AJ

AJ — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:01:58 +0000

I once saw a very attractive woman parallel park a Suburban on a busy California street. When she got out of the truck and noticed me looking impressed with what she had done, she just smiled and said, “My dad taught me to drive big trucks and I have been doing so since.” Now that is an American woman!

By: td

td — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:10:16 +0000

The road test for a Class E Florida Driver’s License does include a simulated “hill park” at the end of the test. An essential skill for driving in a state where the greatest incline most drivers face on a daily basis is a driveway. Heck, some of the road tests are conducted in closed off parking lots. We wouldn’t want to conduct a challenging, realistic test, now would we?

By: seoultrain

seoultrain — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:00:47 +0000

There is parallel parking in the NJ test. However, the space is huge unless you bring an Expedition to your driving test. It’s also okay if you’re more than a foot from the “curb”.

I once got a parking ticket while asleep in the car. Was kinda pissed at that.

By: KixStart

KixStart — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:53:53 +0000

In the frozen North, traditional skills are still emphasized. You must parallel park to pass.

I’m amazed that my children managed it in the test because none of them were doing well in practice.

I also note that, once the test is passed, it seems most Minnesnowtans avoid it whenever possible.

By: boredlawstudent

boredlawstudent — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:14:42 +0000

No parallel parking requirement in RI either.

By: blautens

blautens — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:03:38 +0000

Florida does not require or test for parallel parking as part of the standard test for a Class E Operator’s license (a normal non-commercial license).

Ironically, there is a parking test. You have to park in a normal parking stall as found in any parking lot. We set the bar pretty high here in Florida, huh?

And for what it’s worth, the government operated parking works pretty well in Miami…where it’s available. It’s the private operators that provide the stories that are the stuff of legend…