Thursday, May 17, 2007

Parking Etiquette

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes when leaving work, I end up walking to the parking lot with another employee.

Yesterday, it was someone I didn't know. So we didn't really talk, just walked a few feet apart to the lot and got into our respective cars.

Particularly in a small parking lot such as ours, I think there's a certain parking etiquette. Similar to how you don't bowl when the person at the lane next to yours is already up, I think it's impolite to pull out of your parking spot at the same time. But if I get in the car first, and she turns her car on first, who has right of way?

I wasn't in a big hurry, and she seemed like she was further along in the process since her car was running, so I made a show of grabbing my cell phone and calling Keith, clearly yielding to her the right of first exit. But she didn't go! We ended up both sitting in our running cars for a minute or so until she finally pulled out.

Next week: How to politely pass an 80-year-old woman on the sidewalk when you're riding your bike.

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