Why don't British car parks use the 'herringbone' parking system?

My local supermarket has a large, clearly laid out car park where some drivers circulate clockwise and some anti-clockwise. Quite a long time ago I rented a car while on holiday in the USA and was surprised to find a car park laid out with the "slots" placed diagonally. On reflection this was a very good system as you could only drive in one direction around the car park and a vacant space was immediately obvious. I can only recall one similar car park in the UK. How about starting a campaign for all new car parks to be "diagonal" and refurbishments made to the same standard?

Asked on 9 February 2013 by RW, Newport, Shropshire

Answered by Honest John

I have recommended herringbone parking many times. It actually allows narrower aisles, so does not take up more space. But, of course, these systems are strictly one-way. With one-way parking, it's always nose first.

Tags: car parking

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