Can't park? Don't

EVERY iime you take
your car out for a spin
you must eventually
park it. A serious chore
for some, seemingly
impossible for others,
parking is a great frus-
tration for many.

While there is a major lack

~ of patience on our roads
today, some motorists really
know how to push other dri-
ver’s buttons. Even the most
unruffled drivers start to steam
when suddenly confronted by
a driver that absolutely must
take thar one parking place —
even when said space is
presently taken.

Sure, there’s someone
loading groceries and looking
for car keys and, yes, this usu-
ally means there’s soon to be a
vacancy, but gosh, folks, ever
notice the line-up of cars
behind you?

These selfish and/or oblivi-
ous drivers ooze laziness, Too
lazy to drive around the block
and find a different spot or
too lazy to park a few more.

. Spaces away from the mall and
* walk a bit. It’s a wonder they

+s.-are never run into by another

driver too lazy to stop.
Then, of course, there are

those drivers that never

learned to park in the first

ee

“Sep jueusddoyayg —sSeaunossy UeUENY

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of 1087 at
BSE

signals

place. The ability to park is
suppose to be another one of
those elementary driving skills.
Too often are we stuck behind
a timid parallel-parker that
must wait until everyone
behind him or her has gone
away, which can be a very long
wait at times.

Or there’s the parallel-park-
er who pulls into a space nose
first and then proceeds to wig-
gle back and forth 17 times
trying for the perfect fit — all
the while using part of the
road and causing others to
swerve or stop suddenly and
dangerously.

Or there's the driver, usual-
ly in a larger vehicle, who pulls
in nose first and drives up the
curb and down again making,
the park a one shot deal. T
kind of admire that maneuver

TOMATIC T

AANSISSION

although it is potentially dan-
gerous and completely illegal.

Then there's my personal
favorite: the driver who takes
no ime at all to parallel park
yet still manages to be four
feer from the curb. This does
n't perturb them at all and
they're out of their carina
flash and dashing away with
much more important things
to do.

Mall parking lots? It
amazes me to no end the
number of people who don’t
know the actual size of their
car. They'll wiggle and waggle
back and forth over an area
the size ofa door mat for fear
of hitting other cars nearby,

A worthy fear, to be sure,
but just once I'd like to see
these spatially-challenged dri-
vers get out of their vehicles
and take note of the extra 55
feet at their disposal.

No actual advice on this,
folks, except maybe: CUT IT
OUT!

Maybe take a refresher les-
son from someone keen on
helping you to get it right (I
recommend an expensive les-
son, keeping in mind that you
get what you pay for).

And, as always, be safe.

Foto submitted

Two thumbs up for Thunder Ailey

NORTH Vancouver’s Andre Young gives the two thumbs-up sign as he pre-
pares to race Thunder Ailey at the PNE Party Zone. The annual Pazific National
Exhibition is open through Labor Day (Menday, Sept. 2). :

MERCEDES BENZ OWNERS
If you wish to sell your vehicle directly to Mercedes Benz or if you would like a current

evaluation of your vehicle, please’contact the Sales Manager at your convenience.

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- Subaru

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Coquitlam :
936-4255 Dealer #5ati

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3511 No. 3 Road
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Don Docksteader
Subaru

8530 Cambie Street
Vancouver
325-1000 Deater #5411