I saw this picture tonight on Twitter tonight from @Jon_Tupper remarking on another “parking hero” in the city and it reminded me that I have something to tell you – I drove over a meridian in the mall parking lot today.
Allow me to explain.
The traffic here is a nightmare; there is so much construction that even if the roads were clear of snow, there are no lines painted on the pavement and it seems to be one big free-for-all. For example, sometimes when driving in a one lane formation, with cars in front of me and behind me but NOT beside me, I’ll pass a construction sign saying “Left lane MUST turn left” and I’ll have a massive freak-out because – am in the left lane? I thought it was only one lane? I don’t think I want to turn left?
Not only is driving a nightmare – you should see the parking. There are piles of snow everywhere, there are no visible parking lines, and it has devolved into a free-for-all: cars are simply abandoned, sideways, front ways, taking up the space for two vehicles. It’s obviously insane. I mean just look at that picture – you get it, this is clearly not normal behaviour.
Anyway, I was at the mall this afternoon and I reversed out of my parking spot when I realized that this great big F150 on steroids had parked in the lane that I had to use to exit the parking lot. I’m totally not making this up. There were cars trying to take my spot (think mall city parking at Christmas) and I was blocked in. I did what any sensible person would have done and I drove over the lane meridian across oncoming traffic and then calmly turned onto the street to head home.
I have only been here a month – what is happening to me?
=D I read this with your next post! I totally get the parking/driving thing. Over December it was crazy here!! I didn’t understand crazy Christmas shopping until moving here! I bet Mr. Northern loved hearing about your meridian experience 🙂
Reading about it first took him by surprise. Whoops!
My Sicilian husband has a cousin who moved to Canada a while ago. I’m pretty sure he must be responsible for all this somehow. Perhaps he’s working as a driving instructor….
In Sicily people normally park diagonally across 2 or even 3 parking spaces to take advantage of the cooling shade cast by a large date palm or whatever. That way they can open the car door after their shopping spree without getting second degree skin burns from the super-heated metal. But in the snow? Maybe the cars just want to huddle together for warmth?
Huddling for warmth? Actually…that is totally plausible 🙂
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Has your car car going over the meridian shown up on twitter yet?? For the record: I’d probably have done the same thing. But since I didn’t, I can laugh. Right?!? It’s gotta e the cold though. Or maybe, it’s just Alberta??
I would have some serious explaining to do if my driving and/or parking shows up on Twitter (grin)
It’s something alright!!!!
Must be the cold…… or maybe snow blindness that’ll cause brain freeze…… or something! 😉