People love to hate diagonal parking. It’s easy to pull in, but when pulling out you can’t see on-coming traffic,
making this a common cause of accidents. It can be dangerous when loading or unloading your trunk too, as you have to stand at the travel lane to do so. Bicyclists aren’t fans of pull-in, diagonal parking either. It’s dangerous for them because vehicles backing out blindly cannot see them until it’s too late.

All these factors are the reason for the increasing popularity of ‘Back-in, Diagonal Parking’. Many cities have adopted or are thinking of adopting this tactic, including several upstate cities. Where before these same cities may have spurned the standard pull-in, back-out diagonal parking due to the high accident rate, they can respond to the increased need for parking by installing back-in parking instead. In comparison to parallel parking, they can safely increase the number of spaces, pleasing both merchants and customers.

The three steps to parking are easy, as shown in the sidebar: Pull up to but just past the parking space you want, using your signal to broadcast your intent to park; stop; then put the car in reverse and back into the spot. Pulling out is easy as the line of sight is much
improved.

Other advantages:

• Safety is much improved, due to better visibility when leaving.


• The parking maneuver is easier than parallel parking.


• The open doors of the car block children from running into the travel lane; they guide them instead to the sidewalk.


• You can load and unload your trunk while standing on the sidewalk, a nice convenience when compared to standing in the travel lane to do so.


• Exiting drivers are better able to see bicyclists using the travel lane.


• Handicapped parking is provided by reserving the spot closest to curb ramps.


• There is no loss of parking spaces in comparison to conventional diagonal parking. There is an increase when compared to parallel parking.

Like any new idea, there are disadvantages to back-in diagonal parking. Vehicles tend to overhang more in the back than in the front, taking up precious space if sidewalks are narrow. And just like parallel parking, motorists need to stop in the travel lane before backing in, which can cause short term congestion and hot tempers. The learning curve is higher too, especially for older drivers who may not notice the instruction signs when dealing with the anxiety of a new parking pattern.

In fact, most objections to this new style of parking involve the difficulty that people have in breaking habits and adjusting to a different way of parking. Even though the instruction signs are well posted, most people just don’t look at them before they park. As a result, until people understand the concept, you may find them pulling in rather than backing in! Lastly, the right-of-way on many streets is often just too narrow to accommodate the design criteria needed.

Despite these concerns, it looks like back-in, drive-out diagonal parking is here to stay. Cities using this technique report a decrease in bicycle hits and fender benders and the ability to provide more parking spaces by doing away with parallel parking. It improves the safety of people exiting and entering their cars and works well with bicycle lanes. In all, back-in diagonal parking can be a good choice in the right setting.

For more information contact Lorenzo Rotoli, P.E.. at 585-334-1310 or by email at lrotoli@fisherassoc.com