Parking is a big issue, a hassle, almost a daily nightmare for many in Bahrain. It is no easy task on arriving home from a night out to find parking close to one’s residence. Majority of buildings have limited parking and after the few slots are taken by early birds the rest have to fend for themselves.
This scenario is repeated all across the country at government offices, schools, post offices, and so on throughout the day except perhaps the weekends when the same circus is repeated at public parks and restaurants.
Nevertheless that cannot be an excuse to park your vehicle cavalierly or carelessly. And certainly no reason to double-park.
Arrogant parking
This is generally the habit of the owners of 4WD owners or jumbo vehicles or expensive vehicles. In the sordid belief the moneyed are beyond the pale of the traffic laws. Arrogant parking is when you blatantly and openly park a vehicle in violation of traffic rules. Footpaths, for instance.
These are often used by owners to dump their vehicles [partly because they can straddle the kerbs easily without damaging their vehicles’ underbelly] not realizing that the footpaths are – as their name implies – meant solely for pedestrians, those on foot, for people on a walk, or out on an errand or walking their dog. These are not meant to park elephantine limos and giant 4WDs.
Another example of arrogant parking is dumping your car in the middle of the road, often with the engine running, while you make a run for the coldstore. Bad manners, and illegal to boot.
Double parking
It is cool as long as you play this game among colleagues in the office or neighbours in your locality who know each others’ cars or have their phone numbers so they could call them to clear out. But if you double-park in public areas it is against the law to start with. In case of emergency or to salve their conscience some double-parkers do leave their phone numbers on the car dashboard but that does not absolve you from legal action by a traffic policeman.
‘One in two’ parking
This is an example of careless and insensitive parking in such a manner that your vehicle takes up space meant for two vehicles. One ntocies such parking often in malls but the habit is universal. It is a mark of being careless while the person who could avail himself of the second slot suffers. All it needs is to reverse and readjust the angle of your vehicle provided you are not too self-important for the exercise.
Good parking is all about being a decent citizen. It is better to park a little away from a convenient spot rather than double park or block the traffic.