As I enjoyed an asiago cheese bagel outside an outdoor strip mall café over the weekend, I observed as drivers maneuvered into and out of their parking spaces. In this newly paved parking lot adjacent to the pavilioned tables at which I dined, I noticed, somewhat disturbingly, that for many people, pulling into a parking space is quite the spastic, jolting, and exhilarating experience. For one man in particular (left photo, above), parking his black expanse of a car culminates in a very jolting crash landing. As I bit into my bagel and startlingly into my lower lip, I witnessed this gray haired driver whip his car into his chosen parking spot at a 45 degree angle. He slammed into the concrete slab at the head of the spot clocking 10, possibly 15 mph on his speedometer. Wow! I said to my dining companion. That’s all I could say at that moment. Wow.
I reasoned that this man was old and couldn’t remember where to find his brake pedal. Or maybe he considers the concrete slabs as a way to conserve his brake pads? Either way, it turns out that many other people practice the same stopping ritual. Out of 17 cars in the parking lot, at least 5 had one wheel or both smothering the concrete (right photo, above). That’s 30% of drivers, boys and girls.
Now, this probably doesn’t seem like a big deal to most people. But what if one of these concrete slabs was stolen one day (by aliens, teenagers, or small elves, for example)? Customers that were used to having the luxury of a concrete brake pad would assume that it was still there when they went to park. We can all see how this could be bad. Goodbye café diners. Goodbye storefront. Goodbye tables and chairs.
So, please think twice next time you accelerate into a parking space. …I just wouldn’t want anyone to die before they got a chance to finish their asiago cheese bagel.
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