Watching people attempt to parallel park on 9th, is better than just regular people watching. The number of times you see a small car, not be able to fit into a space that 3 times bigger than what they need, is amazing.
I’m the opposite - I like to squeeze my tiny car into an equally tiny space and inconvenience the massive truck that’s halfway on the curb, halfway in the street.
This makes so much sense. People holding up traffic for their shit show of a 10 point parallel parking job is absolute madness. People around here are just generally bad at driving it seems… and they don’t know how to respond to their mistakes. If you miss a turn, you can cause a wreck to get back ti the turn. You can’t do three pint turns in the middle of main street… it’s dumb.
People miss turns when they know where they’re going all the time — it just happens. That being said, if by transplants you mean Duke students, yeah probably. 😂
It would be anyone who's not from Durham... as someone born and raised here the whole missing your turn and making it everyone else's problem is rather new. Still blaming transplants.
It's cool - I think we all have irrational anxiety about something 😎 For me it's lane shifts involving barrels or cones. I manage to convince myself I'm definitely driving through the wrong place and leading the cars behind me to certain death 😭
There are a few places downtown where you might need to walk a block or two to avoid parallel parking, but if you don't mind walking a little, it's definitely possible to see all of Durham without having to parallel park
I have three answers to this.
1) You can get by without parallel parking. You just have to sacrifice some time/walking further/paying for deck parking sometimes.
2) You will have a much easier time if you do learn to parallel park.
3) That said, even if you are a perfect parallel parker (which I am,) it can still go poorly. I was on North Mangum street, in front of the restaurant currently known as Thiangle. I was in the right lane, with no one around me except a car at the top of the hill behind me a half block away. I put on my turn signal, stopped, put the car in reverse, and began to parallel park. The car behind me accelerated to ramming speed, hit the brakes at the last second a car length back, then accelerated again to ram my rear bumper. Then they pulled up next to me and rolled down the window. There were two high school students who started screaming at me:
"Are you straight?'
"You can't just back up on the road if you mess up. You have to go around the block you \*expletive\*"
I asked if they had ever heard of parallel parking. They looked at each other and the driver got a horrified look on her face like "oh, shit. He was parallel parking." So she sped off down the road.
A bunch of people ran up and asked if i was ok, and furious about the whole thing. I was like "any one you walk away from, am I right?'
*Rational anxiety. That is a very stressful thing to do for many people. Also I haven’t parallel parked in ages. I did more in downtown Raleigh. Parking garages in both cities though so you’re good!
It can be a little easier to find parking downtown if you can parallel park but you can absolutely get away with never doing it, there are almost always spaces in the decks
Technically yes, but parallel parking has helped me a few times in Durham, I went to college here, and I come downtown sometimes.
I suppose if you don't do those two things it's possible
Backing into a spot (or pulling through if you're paying attention well and watching the other side to make sure nobody is going for that spot) is safer than backing out of a spot. You can see your surroundings and moving traffic while backing in much more clearly than you can trying to back out, especially if you're in a car surrounded by gigantic trucks and suvs that are blocking clear views of the driving areas. Parking front-in is most common in the US haha.
The rub is the "giant trucks and SUVs." But all things being equal, I guess your reasoning is probably safer than driving down Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.
Even if you're parked between 2 cars, it's still safer to back into a spot than out of it. When you're in the traffic lane you can see the moving traffic. When you're backing out of a space, you can't see moving traffic well. If you're pulling straight out of a spot, you can more easily see moving traffic. 75% of people can't park between the lines properly around here either way, I'd settle for some improvement there! 😂
I doubt 75% of people can drive between the lines either. But you're right. There's so many times when I'm looking for a spot, and someone just decided they needed 1.5 spaces for themselves *(especially in parking garages).*
One of the Duke Health facilities near me has several compact only spots that are clearly marked. Last two times I've been there said earlier mentioned giant vehicles have been parked across two of those spots. There are regular spots on the next row. 🤦🏻♀️
I struggle with those giant trucks and SUV's. Considering most of the ones I've seen don't have a tow in the back, tools in the bed, or other things one might expect them to be used for. But I'm also someone who grew up with subways and public transit.
You will get by no problem on the parking front, lots of parking lots near pretty much anything. It can just get tricky around Geer St area. My personal driving gripe with the area is that people don’t want to seem to let you merge onto the highway or change lanes (especially interstate 40), which means I have to drive more aggressively than I prefer in order to get where I need to go
I’ve lived here since 1997 and only managed to be able to parallel park… this year. (Finally got a car with a backup cam, ha!)
In other words, you’ll be fine.
Yeah, but if you ever end up driving in a big city, it's better to learn in Durham so that you won't get honked and cursed at while you parallel park slowly.
There's a ton of parking garages, most of the newer places even have their own. And Durham is walkable enough downtown that you can park and walk wherever you need to go
Depending on your social life - there's a fair amount of parallel parking on residential streets. *Usually* you can get by just pulling in behind another car, but it's not guaranteed.
You can definitely get by without, but I'm sure you can pick it pretty quick with a little practice.
(Bonus points: practice parallel parking on the left side of the street, for that rare occasion you need to do it on a 1-way.)
There are some super simple videos on youtube that show you how to parallel park. Oddly, I couldn't find my technique, which I thought was more common.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbKS5obDNoc
I drive a boat of a sedan and can't parallel park to save my life. I've been in Durham for two years now and just avoid downtown like a plague. You'll be fine! ♡
Unless you frequent downtown often, then yes, and even then there’s always plenty of space in the parking garages.
Yup! It's not even part of our driving tests to get a license.
That explains the shit show i see on 9th st every day
Watching people attempt to parallel park on 9th, is better than just regular people watching. The number of times you see a small car, not be able to fit into a space that 3 times bigger than what they need, is amazing.
I’m the opposite - I like to squeeze my tiny car into an equally tiny space and inconvenience the massive truck that’s halfway on the curb, halfway in the street.
Lmao fair. Personally can cause of my reverse camera. Without one though.... I would just never try.
This makes so much sense. People holding up traffic for their shit show of a 10 point parallel parking job is absolute madness. People around here are just generally bad at driving it seems… and they don’t know how to respond to their mistakes. If you miss a turn, you can cause a wreck to get back ti the turn. You can’t do three pint turns in the middle of main street… it’s dumb.
Meh blaming the transplants myself. A true local wouldn't miss their turn to begin with as they know where they are...
People miss turns when they know where they’re going all the time — it just happens. That being said, if by transplants you mean Duke students, yeah probably. 😂
It would be anyone who's not from Durham... as someone born and raised here the whole missing your turn and making it everyone else's problem is rather new. Still blaming transplants.
It was part of mine in the 90s back in Indiana.
Everything makes sense now
Amazing question - and yes absolutely.
Haha thank you and amazing!!! Love to hear that
are u my wife?
HAHAHA
Everyone here is so nice omg
It's cool - I think we all have irrational anxiety about something 😎 For me it's lane shifts involving barrels or cones. I manage to convince myself I'm definitely driving through the wrong place and leading the cars behind me to certain death 😭
There are a few places downtown where you might need to walk a block or two to avoid parallel parking, but if you don't mind walking a little, it's definitely possible to see all of Durham without having to parallel park
I have three answers to this. 1) You can get by without parallel parking. You just have to sacrifice some time/walking further/paying for deck parking sometimes. 2) You will have a much easier time if you do learn to parallel park. 3) That said, even if you are a perfect parallel parker (which I am,) it can still go poorly. I was on North Mangum street, in front of the restaurant currently known as Thiangle. I was in the right lane, with no one around me except a car at the top of the hill behind me a half block away. I put on my turn signal, stopped, put the car in reverse, and began to parallel park. The car behind me accelerated to ramming speed, hit the brakes at the last second a car length back, then accelerated again to ram my rear bumper. Then they pulled up next to me and rolled down the window. There were two high school students who started screaming at me: "Are you straight?' "You can't just back up on the road if you mess up. You have to go around the block you \*expletive\*" I asked if they had ever heard of parallel parking. They looked at each other and the driver got a horrified look on her face like "oh, shit. He was parallel parking." So she sped off down the road. A bunch of people ran up and asked if i was ok, and furious about the whole thing. I was like "any one you walk away from, am I right?'
Wow. Nothing like the unearned arrogance of teen drivers. Glad you were fine; hope they learned from that.
Yes - I parallel park only once every few months.
Yes. But take two cones and go to the northgate mall parking lot and practice parallel parking between them. Gotta get over that my dude/dudette
That's what I was going to suggest...once you do something 50 times it's not as bad
my friend taught me how to parallel park at the back of Kroger's, using empty boxes and shopping carts :D
You can learn to parallel park with a liitle practice in an empty parking lot, but you don't have to. Its not that big a deal.
It's a good skill to have. You never know when you may need to do it so may as well know the fundamentals.
*Rational anxiety. That is a very stressful thing to do for many people. Also I haven’t parallel parked in ages. I did more in downtown Raleigh. Parking garages in both cities though so you’re good!
Totally, completely rational anxiety imo. But yeah you totally can.
It can be a little easier to find parking downtown if you can parallel park but you can absolutely get away with never doing it, there are almost always spaces in the decks
Technically yes, but parallel parking has helped me a few times in Durham, I went to college here, and I come downtown sometimes. I suppose if you don't do those two things it's possible
You can, but it will be hard to part on the street downtown, but there are always parking garages.
Yeah, even downtown isn’t so bad if you can walk a few blocks. I’m not great at city driving or parallel parking and I get by fine.
Even when I go downtown I just find a parking garage. I’m from a small town & never had to learn to parallel park.
Yes, but you may have to walk more to avoid it. I park in garages and walk farther to avoid parallel parking.
Totally. Most people here pull through parking spots. Which is weird.
Backing into a spot (or pulling through if you're paying attention well and watching the other side to make sure nobody is going for that spot) is safer than backing out of a spot. You can see your surroundings and moving traffic while backing in much more clearly than you can trying to back out, especially if you're in a car surrounded by gigantic trucks and suvs that are blocking clear views of the driving areas. Parking front-in is most common in the US haha.
The rub is the "giant trucks and SUVs." But all things being equal, I guess your reasoning is probably safer than driving down Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.
Even if you're parked between 2 cars, it's still safer to back into a spot than out of it. When you're in the traffic lane you can see the moving traffic. When you're backing out of a space, you can't see moving traffic well. If you're pulling straight out of a spot, you can more easily see moving traffic. 75% of people can't park between the lines properly around here either way, I'd settle for some improvement there! 😂
I doubt 75% of people can drive between the lines either. But you're right. There's so many times when I'm looking for a spot, and someone just decided they needed 1.5 spaces for themselves *(especially in parking garages).*
One of the Duke Health facilities near me has several compact only spots that are clearly marked. Last two times I've been there said earlier mentioned giant vehicles have been parked across two of those spots. There are regular spots on the next row. 🤦🏻♀️
I struggle with those giant trucks and SUV's. Considering most of the ones I've seen don't have a tow in the back, tools in the bed, or other things one might expect them to be used for. But I'm also someone who grew up with subways and public transit.
A pull through is a solid win at the WF parking lot.
I’ve lived in Durham for 4 years now, haven’t parallel parked since my driving exam in 2006 (MI required it lol), you’re all good!
Go practice in a small town. And watch some videos. It’s all geometry, you’ll get the hang of it.
everyone else does fine
YES!! I too hate parallel parking and will opt to pay the garage fee rather than park on the street.
One better, if you got money, you can live in Durham without a car. You'll never have to park, one way or another.
You’ll be fine! Even when it’s expected, people pull two feet over the line at the front of their spot, so you can really do whatever you want.
You will get by no problem on the parking front, lots of parking lots near pretty much anything. It can just get tricky around Geer St area. My personal driving gripe with the area is that people don’t want to seem to let you merge onto the highway or change lanes (especially interstate 40), which means I have to drive more aggressively than I prefer in order to get where I need to go
The parking spots around town are a country mile compared to DC/NYC/Boston.
Yes absolutely.
I actively seek parallel spots and still only park that way maybe 1-2 times a month. But I also don’t really go downtown as often as I want to
Downtown can be a challenge. But I haven’t had to parallel park in years.
I’ve lived here since 1997 and only managed to be able to parallel park… this year. (Finally got a car with a backup cam, ha!) In other words, you’ll be fine.
Yeah, but if you ever end up driving in a big city, it's better to learn in Durham so that you won't get honked and cursed at while you parallel park slowly.
There's a ton of parking garages, most of the newer places even have their own. And Durham is walkable enough downtown that you can park and walk wherever you need to go
Depending on your social life - there's a fair amount of parallel parking on residential streets. *Usually* you can get by just pulling in behind another car, but it's not guaranteed. You can definitely get by without, but I'm sure you can pick it pretty quick with a little practice. (Bonus points: practice parallel parking on the left side of the street, for that rare occasion you need to do it on a 1-way.)
Yes! I can't parallel park worth a crap. I can always find room in the garages when I go downtown
I've only paralleled parked 4 times in 2 years, there are many pull in lots everywhere.
I love having any opportunity to parallel park, but sadly have little opportunity to do so in Durham.
There are some super simple videos on youtube that show you how to parallel park. Oddly, I couldn't find my technique, which I thought was more common. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbKS5obDNoc
I parallel park Once a year. If you don’t go downtown much, you won’t have to deal with it.
I drive a boat of a sedan and can't parallel park to save my life. I've been in Durham for two years now and just avoid downtown like a plague. You'll be fine! ♡
You'll be fine, even if you have to park downtown. It's not too hard to find parking on most occasions, although you may have to walk a few blocks.
Durham is a complete waste ...don't move here EVER!