Parking etiquette: Is it acceptable to stand in a parking slot to reserve it?
Looking for a parking space is a challenge that many car owners face, especially in crowded places like malls. This is why some go to great lengths just to get a space to park. Case in point: a woman has now gone viral after she was seen standing at a parking slot and blocking other drivers in an attempt to reserve it.
The video came from the Facebook page Parkeserye, which is described as a community space where members can "ventilate their outrage against road indiscipline or improper parking habits."
In the clip that was captured through a car’s rearview camera, the woman refused to move from the parking slot she was standing on even if the driver was backing up the car to get the space.
She even appeared to challenge the driver when they got closer, saying, "Go, do it!
According to Parkeserye, the incident took place at the parking lot of the Greenbelt 5 Mall in Makati.
The woman's action has since been the subject of heated arguments online, with many social media users noting how public parking spaces cannot be reserved.
"There is no reservation in any public parking facilities. And for anybody to stand and wait for your car to arrive [is] not allowed. It is still first to come, first to park," one user commented.
"[She has] no right to try and reserve the spot. I would just stay there, making all the cars wait and security arrives with my horn on permanent. Then they make this selfish woman move," another wrote.
Others said, "Parking management should have strict rules to put an end to this practice. It's 2024. This should not happen anymore."
What is the right parking etiquette?
Some SM Supermalls branches have signs prohibiting the practice of using your body to reserve parking.
"For safety reasons standing on a parking slot to reserve is not allowed," a sign at SM City Iloilo reads. "Parking spaces are on a first-come-first-served basis."
Former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority traffic chief Bong Nebrija echoed this in March 2019.
"A parking slot is reserved for a vehicle, hindi sa tao... Tandaan po natin na ang parking na 'yan whether private or public, is first come, first served," he said.
SM Supermalls also previously released a video listing some reminders that car owners should keep in mind on proper parking behavior.
Apart from basic rules such as not leaving your valuables behind and turning off your engine, the company warned that you should not park in areas reserved for persons with disabilities.
Meanwhile, car accessories chain store Blade Auto Center emphasized how blocking and parking on another person's own driveway is considered "one of the most trigger-inducing moves any driver can do against their fellow man."
It is also not ideal to park along the sidewalk as it can obstruct people from walking on the sidewalk, causing them to go around and possibly get exposed to harm due to other vehicles passing along the road.
While Blade Auto Center said that parking on the street is not illegal unless there's a "No Parking" signage on it, it is illegal to park if the space is at or inside an intersection, within a crosswalk, within the vicinity of footbridges or overpass, and is in all major national roads.
You should also remember to stay away at least four meters from a fire hydrant or from the entrance of a fire station and to stay away at least six meters from the intersection of curb lines.