We would like some ammo to talk to our HOA about the kind of cars that they are allowing in our compact cars only / no truck spaces.
Now we know based on others what the Feds classify as compact, sub compact, large etc but does this also apply to apt / condo complexes where some spaces are made smaller to add more spaces?
How are station wagons, mini vans, Suburbans, SUV’s, all kinds of trucks, Cadillacs and other large type vehicles the same as your regular 4 door sedan?
This isnt a problem now but when we have alot of snow; its very hard to get out of spaces when these large type vehicles are parked next to you. In addition; some of these cars park so close to the line; its hard to park yourself without bumping the door on his car.
Now this is a large parking lot and only one side is compact cars only so the large vehicles could be parking on one side while the smaller cars are parked on the compact side but this doesnt usually happen.
So anyone have any suggestions???
You need to attend the next HOA meeting (perhaps a few of them) in order to have this issue discussed publicly and to have everyone in attendance give his/her views. If you are convincing enough, it shouldn’t be that hard to induce the HOA to change their bylaws/regulations to define which size vehicles can park in those compact spaces, and which cannot. All you need to do is to conduct a little research online in order to come up with a list of suggested cars for the "compact’ designation.
At the very least, you should be able to convince the HOA that SUVs, pickup trucks and vans definitely don’t belong in “compact” parking spaces.
VDC has it correct. This must be worked out by the HOA and not by any Federal mandate or industry standard. You can go by the car’s physical dimensions, for example. Then those that qualify got a special sticker, or those that don’t get a warning message scratched on the hood.
Thanks. We will try that. Our HOA is very hard headed so we can only try as at times this is just a bit riduclous especially when spaces are very limited!!!
Maybee they will help you pass an emmisions test as well.
I always look for a spot marked compact to park my H2 in. I don’t think you or anyone else has the right to tell me where to park.
Perhaps they will apologize for Jiffy Lube as well.
We do if you are taking up two spaces in a very limited parking lot with alot of people all wanting to park in the same spaces.
You are the kind of people; who are apt to get nasty notes on the car like "XXXX dont you know how to park?
If it’s a private lot they have the right to say no red or green cars can park there if they want. Jerks like you need to get one of the impossible to remove paste on citizen’s parking tickets that cover half of your windshield.
Put one of those labels on my car gives me an excuse for driving over your rice burner.
“Officer I couldn’t see that hulk because of the sticker”
I park where I want when I want and I don’t care!
Then accept the consequences of parking where you want and pay the ticket.
By the way does that include the fire lanes and the disabled spaces? If it does, we hope you also pay those issued by the local police force and not bitch!!! or expect your fine to be reduced!!!
I do not park illegaly. This includes fire lanes and handicapped spots. I was speaking of private parking areas where there are signs posted saying “Compact cars”, “No Trucks”, etc…These are the spots I look for. I think it is ridiculus that federal law states you need 1 parking space for every XX amount of square footage of building. Building owners work around this by making parking spaces smaller. I am not going to park on the street or at the edge of the parking area because I can afford to drive a big rig.
Well condo complexes put alot of people in a very small area. In our complex there is at least 5 buildings that are by this same parking lot so there is alot of people all wanting to park in the same limited spaces. So if one person parks in 2 spaces or a van with a trailer parks and takes up 3 spaces; its even more difficult for the rest of us to park.
The only thing we are saying is people should have some common courtesy and if there is a larger space available; park there first if you have a large vehcile and use the compact spaces if you have a smaller vehicle.
and if you have a commercial vehicle which most complexes (hoa / apt) dont allow to be parked overrnight; park on the street!
and if you are a carpet cleaner / moving company; try to avoid blocking cars in / parking ilegally; etc.
Common courtesy and abiding by the rules / regs avoids fights and allows alot of people to live in the same space.
You’ve sadly confirmed my suspicions about people who buy Hummers. I always suspected they were “mine’s bigger than your’s” vehicles. Does it make you feel some sense of having commanded respect that you can’t otherwise get?
I think that the moderators (do we still have moderators?) should take note that this thread has really gone “off the rails”. At this point, it seems to consist of only mean-sprited tit-for-tat responses, rather than addressing the original topic.
Well we have tried to stay on target. Cant find anything on the govt websites to find dimensions of cars and waiting for email from the govt and kbb to see if we can get a book to get the dimensions. That was a great thought for us so thanks for the info.
Any other info as to where we can find the dimenions besides looking at each car?
Cant help the tit for tat; sorry VDCdriver
I frequent a parking garage in LA that has compact-only spots. I haven’t seen an H1 in a compact spot, but I have seen half-ton pick-ups, Suburbans, and Excursions in them. If someone wants the spot, they will park there. Whether the next car can park next to them is not important (to the Excursion driver).
You will have a problem using government standards for “compact” cars. They base their definition of compact on interior space, not exterior dimensions. I remember some years back a Rolls Royce or some such large car ended up being labeled a “compact” due to its smallish, though really cushy, interior.
What we intend to do is get the exact dimensions in inches or centimeters of the width of each car and then put them on a chart; measure the parking spaces and the space needed to open the doors; then take it to the HOA.
This we would hope would come up with a standard size car that can be parked in the spaces and those that cant be. A sticker on each car is a very good idea and a rule in place that says those with the smaller car stickers must first park in the compact spaces; might allevate alot of the problems.
Could it be that all the larger parking spots are all taken up first by both small and large vehicles, and the larger vehicles have no choice but to use the small spot? How about designating LARGE vehicles only spaces proportionally equal to the amount of small verses large vehicles. That way when a small vehicle parks in a large vehicle space they can complain just the same. This would be both fair and equal.
We have so many parking problems where we live; we have made a study of the issue.
We have seen both large and small cars park in the closest space to what ever building they want to go to. It doesnt matter if the space is small or large. They just park there.
Then there is the end of the night especialy Sunday night or very late in the evenings when there are no spaces at all or only spaces in the small section. So your choice is park in the small section if you can fit; park in the street or park alot further out then what you want to.
The idea with the stickers is at least we get people to change habits and try for a better system to allow everyone to park in the right space. No its not a pefect system but at least you dont have a ton of SUV’s, statino wagons, and trucks parking and at times taking up 2 spaces in the compact cars spaces whihc in turn prevents someone else from parking there.
At times; you cant even talk to people when there are clearly alot of compact spaces open but people park on the other side as if they cant walk the few extra steps when they have a small car to park on the other side and vice versa. There is only this one strip on one side of the lot and maybe 2 others spaces due to their size that are marked compact only, no trucks so there isnt alot of spaces but people being people they dont think of others ( alot of the time).
Most spaces where we live are the larger spaces so all we need to do is get people to have a change of attitude. We should add this is now state law as of 18 months ago meaning that the HOA needs to abide by and enforce all the rules and regs on everyone equally so this is the other reason for doing this. (Yes we know CO has alot of strange laws but this one has to do with HOA’s and with so many bad ones out there; we need to force them to get them to abide by all the rules and regs in the same manner on all.)
This doesnt include by the way all the illegal parking which we have to regularly bitch at the sheriff to ticket and which the sheriff is allowed to ticket (fire lanes and disabled spaces).
Yes we know we have few spaces and alot of cars.