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How do you comfortably drive on roads with cars parked on both sides? Of course, there are no lines on the sides, so it's very scary. If feels like I'm going to scrape the cars, as I drive past.. It's even worse when there is no dividing line in the center of the road and when there's an RV, or something large.
It seems to be pretty common, because I often see people ahead of me driving like I do. (moving over when no oncoming cars are approaching and slow down, staying as far from the parked cars as possible, while not crossing the center line when there's an oncoming vehicle)
Is there any trick to this? It's very nerve wracking and I hate driving on the east side of my city because of it. If they would just paint lines on the sides, it would help so much..
I don't know any tricks. It gets easier when you become more experienced driver.
You will be more comfortable knowing how much space on both sides you need to pass. Sometimes the space seems very narrow, but in fact an 18 wheeler could drive through without any problems.
Try to avoid those streets till you trust your driving judgment and feel more comfortable and at ease.
If it is that scary to you, don't drive down such a road and if that is not possible....don't drive. Saying a road where people are legally parked as being scary, scares me.
If it is that scary to you, don't drive down such a road and if that is not possible....don't drive. Saying a road where people are legally parked as being scary, scares me.
I agree. Sometimes having to navigate through "tight quarters" successfully, is part of driving. If you can't do it, you shouldn't be driving.
(on the other hand, it's a lot easier to accomplish, if you put the cell phone down, turn it off, and concentrate on driving the car......)
How fast are you going? Maybe you could slow down going through that section and follow the other cars example of moving more to the center line until another car comes along towards you.
If there is a center line just use that as a guide. What really bothers me about driving along a row of parked cars is that someone will open their door without looking or step out between 2 cars.
Just take it slow, without impeding traffic, and you will be fine.
Don't know about the OP, but depending on where you are, it can be a problem. Like my street is only 18 feet wide. You can't meet an oncoming car if someone is parked on the street. One driver or the other has to stop and wait.
Another great example is how they rearranged downtown. They went from parallel parking to diagonal pull in parking. Meaning they had to take width from the driving lanes. It's doable when compact cars are parked, but full size cars and trucks stick out into the driving lanes. With the occasional double cab dually sticking almost six feet into the lane.
My advice would be to slow down and navigate through those roads cautiously. With practice it will become easier for you to navigate these types of roads and you will become more comfortable driving them.
Many times where we live the main road becomes very narrow because of the snow banks on either side, so there is barely enough room for two vehicles to pass one another. As I approach the oncoming vehicle I slow down to a safer speed and get over as much as I can without getting sucked into the snow bank, the vehicle on the other side does the same and we pass each other cautiously. As soon as we've cleared each other we move back to the middle of the narrow road.
When I first moved here I has zero snow driving experience and this was quite harrowing having to do this all winter long. After three years this is just no big deal to me anymore because I have increased my skills driving in snow and know the width of my car and have practiced enough that it just goes with the territory of winter driving. The same would happen to you if you actively continue to choose those roads that have cars lined up ok each side. The more you drive them and practice the better skilled at them you will be, and before you know it you'll be a pro and won't get anxious when you have to drive on them.
Don't know about the OP, but depending on where you are, it can be a problem. Like my street is only 18 feet wide. You can't meet an oncoming car if someone is parked on the street. One driver or the other has to stop and wait.
Another great example is how they rearranged downtown. They went from parallel parking to diagonal pull in parking. Meaning they had to take width from the driving lanes. It's doable when compact cars are parked, but full size cars and trucks stick out into the driving lanes. With the occasional double cab dually sticking almost six feet into the lane.
We don't have diagonal parking, at least not yet, but we do have narrow roads and short, tight parking places. I have preferred short narrow vehicles because they are much easier to maneuver. My previous vehicle was a Toyota Tacoma regular cab, which I bought because it was the smallest, cheapest 4WD. Even so, there were parking places that I had to avoid due to the size. And since they stopped making regular cabs, that leaves the access cab, which is 18" longer.
I now have a Buick Encore, AWD of course. 4 1/2" narrower and 22" shorter than the Tacoma. The only quiet, smooth-riding subcompact SUV. Once again, on a 2 lane road with parking on both sides, I can make a 1-point u-turn from my parking place if no one is parked on the other side.
How do you comfortably drive on roads with cars parked on both sides?
Slowly and carefully.
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