We get it: not everyone was born to park. Some couldn’t do it to save their lives. But the reality is that sooner or later that car will stop and that driver will have to face a proportionate amount of flak based on how well their car obeys the parking laws.
But not everyone parks with a guilty or rightful conscience. Not everyone has one. In fact, some have a flat-out arrogant approach to driving. And so it is up to heroes who don’t wear capes to make things right—to correct the parking mistakes of people whose role went to their heads to a degree where they thought they’re above the law and so parking doesn’t matter.
It does.
More Info: Reddit
It's easy to spot a car that's been parked improperly. It's not easy to determine if the driver is a jerk, but that is evident by how they respond to the parking violation
Image credits: Zachary Keiming (not the actual photo)
And then it's amusing to see how the jerk driver gets a dose of malicious compliance when they could just knock it off and not use handicap spots to park haphazardly
Image credits: u/pistes-party
All the Redditor had to do to ensure parking lot peace was to maliciously comply with the cash courier's boss' order to "handle it themselves". And so the parking police did
Image credits: Simon Hurry (not the actual photo)
A Redditor by the nickname of u/pistes-party recently shared a malicious compliance story of how they put an arrogant parking meister in their place.
The story goes that OP is a dispensary employee. Regularly, this one cash courier would come over in his armored delivery truck to balance some legal tender for security reasons. All would have been fine if not for his obnoxious parking habits—he would park across several handicap spots, hogging them from the clientele who actually need them. And the dispensary gets quite a few.
Talking to the courier didn’t work. Talking to his boss didn’t either. But OP was inspired by the boss to do something clever. The courier said to talk to the boss. Which the employee did. The boss said to handle it themselves. Which the employee, at this point, gladly obliged.
And so comes the fateful day when the courier comes around and parks in his old ways—as if he never touched a coloring book. However, OP has made sure that the proper authorities are called to action and the problem is dealt with. And so it happened—the parking enforcement people show up and slap 5 infractions on the parky parkinson.
Incidentally, that company wasn’t around for long to service the dispensary. Probably not due to this, but OP hopes that they at least felt a teeny-tiny bit of shame for this.
Image credits: Erik Mclean (not the actual photo)
Folks in the comments enjoyed the story thoroughly. OP was also very active there. Here we learn about the specific infractions (3 for the spaces, 1 for blocking the extra space for ramps next to the van spot, and 1 for blocking the entrance), OP’s speculations that the status went to the courier’s head (the weapons they carry and whatnot), and explaining why fighting for these spots is key (OP shared a story of a friend who got into an accident and had extreme difficulty walking, so the spaces help a bunch).
Besides that, folks were discussing the issue in several ways. On the one hand, one commenter pointed out that unless a company has a monopoly, it is not wise to be a jerk to customers. Let alone ones who are skilled in malicious compliance.
Others inquired about whether the police could be involved in this matter. OP had doubts as the parking lot OP was in was a public parking location that fell under municipal jurisdiction. They also pointed out that the signs and marking in, say, private parking lots are even worse as these are suggestions.
Some folk even had similar stories to tell, with one Redditor explaining that the armored cash courier they had to deal with was apparently instructed to park as close to the entrance as possible. But does that mean they can break the law by blocking handicap parking spots? The weird part is many of these couriers have the common decency not to park on the sidewalk, but handicap spots are on the table. So, go figure.
Image credits: Kenny Eliason (not the actual photo)
While it’s (probably) normal to think that parking offenses are overshadowed by other, much more serious driving offenses, it is by no means one that should be disregarded. A number of statistics point out that the driving offenses are things like reckless or drunk driving, running red lights, driving using a phone and speeding. In places like the United Kingdom, driving convictions have actually increased in number, clocking in 14% more infractions in the last year alone.
But poor and improper parking can get drivers into trouble too. Things like illegal parking cause traffic jams: if a car is crooked or sticks out into traffic, this forces other folks in traffic to adjust and compensate at the expense of smooth traffic flow. Needless to say, it often reduces the amount of optimal parking space and one absentminded driver could also lead to a traffic accident this way.
There have also been incidents regarding emergency services not being able to smoothly navigate the streets with how poorly some folks park. In 2021, in the city of Cornwall, there was one day where over 300 parking tickets were issued just because the drivers parked inconsiderately. Sure, it’s great for the municipal budget, but if you have a fire truck trying to pass, this might mean poor response time and a possible scratch or bend on your car. Park responsibly, folks!
Oh, and one last nuance: next time you park, remember that towing your car will not only cause you to have to deal with all of the logistics of getting it back, but it might also cost you anywhere from $100 to $1,000 (or even more) depending on why, where from and who towed the vehicle. This is besides paying all the improper parking fines. Again, great for boosting the economy, not good for your wallet. Park responsibly.
But what are your thoughts on any of this? How would you have gone about solving this? Let us know and share your parking stories in the comment section below!
Folks applauded the Redditor for their textbook malicious compliance, with the post garnering nearly 10K upvotes
