“Those who surrender liberty for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
–B. Franklin.

Patricia Abraham makes a good point. If the town stays with the RAP, perhaps they should create a “no parking” zone on the eastern side of the intersection to allow for greater visibility of approaching traffic.

I’ve followed the coverage of the Mason Avenue parking changes with some amusement. Having lived the first two decades of my life in a large urban area, then moved to another large urban area for the next quarter century, I’m very familiar with all types of parking. In the scheme of things, this is a small issue, but since we are devoting so much time and energy to it, allow me to contribute my two cents to the discussion.

Reverse Angle Parking (RAP) is a method used to:
1) Create more parking spaces in areas typically occupied by parallel parking locations.
2) Reduce the number of accidents and injuries related to parking by providing drivers an unobstructed view of oncoming traffic, bicyclist and/or pedestrians.
3) Offer convenience and safety when it comes to loading and unloading vehicles, with the back of the vehicle pointing toward the sidewalk and an open car door acting as a barrier to busy streets

First, RAP can create up to 3 spaces for every 1 parallel parking space. Imagine a Ford F-350 crew cab long bed parallel parked on Mason Avenue. That truck is 263 inches long. Now allow maneuvering space of 2 feet on each end and you’re looking at well over 300 inches to park one vehicle. That’s 25 feet! RAP creates additional parking space by turning the truck 60 to 80 degrees and placing the narrow aspect of the vehicle against the curb. Now we’re accommodating the 80 inch width of the truck instead of the 263 inch length, and we can double or potentially even triple the parking space along that curb.

Now visualize the driver of that 24 foot long Ford F350 crew cab attempting to parallel park into an existing parking space on Mason Avenue. Let’s say (for the purposes of this exercise) that the space is 30 feet long (Good luck finding a 30 foot long parking space…) As the driver backs in, they are far more likely to use the front bumper of the vehicle parked behind them as a “range finder”, and as they shift into forward to bring the front end of the truck toward the curb, they are likely to hit the rear bumper of the vehicle parked in front of them. This is such a common occurrence that people who reside in areas where parallel parking is commonplace have resorted to purchasing “bumper buddies” – unattractive rubber pads that protect a vehicle’s bumper from damage due to “assertive” attempts at parallel parking. RAP eliminates the need for the bumper buddy, and damage to the vehicle’s bumper, by having the driver back into a space and using the curb as a fixed boundary of the space.

Finally, cars that park on a head-in angle are less aware of surrounding traffic as they back out of the parking space. Instead of a Ford F-350 Crew Cab for this scenario, let’s imagine (if you will) a Honda Passport (or a Chevrolet Traverse, or some other CUV) that is parked on your right (head in) on Mason Avenue. You are beside it in your Chevrolet Malibu, and you’ve just bought a case of ant traps at Watson’s Hardware Store or a case of your favorite Malbec at Gull Hummock. The kids are bouncing around in the back seat and your spouse is impatiently waiting in the front passenger seat. You exit Watson’s (Gull Hummock) and while walking into the street to place the case of ant traps (Malbec) into your trunk, nearly get sideswiped by the work truck rumbling down Mason Ave. Once you regain your composure, you load the trunk, enter your vehicle and sit in the drivers seat. You place the Malibu in reverse, turn your head to look over your right shoulder, and… all you can see is the side panel of the vehicle beside you. Blindly, you back up, cursing the Honda beside you, and thinking “please please please don’t let there be any cars coming”. As you back into the westbound lane of Mason Avenue, you can see rail road cars and cars parked on the eastbound side of the road, but you still can’t see if anything is approaching in your lane. Finally, as you pass the rear bumper of the Passport, you are able to see the westbound lane of Mason Avenue – and (this time) you’re clear – luckily there were no oncoming cars, bicycles or golf carts. As you unpucker (yes, this is a technical term), the thought crosses your mind “why didn’t I back into that spot? I would’ve been able to see the traffic much sooner”.

RAP (backing in) allows visibility of oncoming and approaching traffic as you’re backing into your desired parking space, and provides a measure of safety to bicyclists and golf cart operators because they are alerted to your intentions as you brake and shift into reverse. When you drive forward to exit the parking space, you have visibility of oncoming traffic much sooner than if you were to back out of that same space. Greater visibility for the driver of the automobile means greater safety for those already in the lane, including other drivers, bicyclists and golf cart operators. Additionally, having the trunk at the sidewalk facilitates loading/unloading your vehicle (unless you drive a Porsche Boxster – you Porsche Boxster owners understand) and prevents you from damaging the front fascia of your vehicle on the curb.

I’ve provided sound reasons for why reverse angled parking makes sense; however, I know there are people in this town who like to squabble over inconsequential stuff. For them I simply say “if you still don’t like reverse angled parking, Cape Charles has other streets where you can park – Pine Street, Strawberry Street, Peach Street, etc”. And, if you feel uncomfortable backing into a parking space, you should probably FedEx your Virginia Drivers License to Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles P.O. Box 27412 Richmond, VA 23269.