Friday, 21 November 2014

Adventures in the parking lot


I’ve driven in Boston, New York and Mexico City, so I have some experience with erratic and treacherous drivers. That experience comes in handy during my regular trips through the Loma Linda Plaza parking lot on Mariposa Road.
Large parking lots are generally chaotic, given the volume of vehicles moving forward and backward, and the looseness of traffic regulations. I still remember taking a driving lesson when I was 16 and asking my instructor if I had to obey the striping in a parking lot. “Nah,” he said dismissively.
I think the no-rules attitude toward parking lot driving, combined with the false sense of security offered by several stop signs, is what makes the drive into the Loma Linda lot – specifically, along the outer access lane on the west side of the lot – so unpredictable.
After entering the lot though the main access point across from Congress Drive and turning immediately right onto the west-side periphery lane, a driver must first beware of cars cruising obliviously up the parking lanes to make the 90-degree left turn into the periphery lane. If the dealerships have their cars on display in this part of the lot, the reduced visibility and distractions for drivers make it even more imperative to keep a keen eye out for potential T-boning.
The scariest spot, though, is where a northbound parking lane reaches the periphery lane on the left, at the same point where the westernmost secondary exit onto eastbound Mariposa Road branches to the right. Here, you need to watch for tunnel-vision drivers who barrel up the parking lane with their eyes set firmly on the exit, and blast across the periphery lane without even a glance to the left or right.
Once past that intersection, a driver headed for a west-side parking spot must beware of any traffic coming straight at them from the hotel parking lot ahead. There’s a stop sign there for those exiting the hotel lot, but don’t for a moment assume that they’ll heed it. Instead, if you see a car or truck approaching the stop sign, tighten your grip on the steering wheel and prepare to quickly shift your right foot to the brake in case of the very real possibility that the vehicle continues unhindered into your path of travel.
A few feet ahead, if you plan to turn left to find a spot near the west entry to Safeway, beware the false security of another stop sign facing the opposite lane ahead. Even with the added indication of a flashing turn signal on the car approaching them, plenty of drivers will still shoot straight past the sign and into the path of the turning vehicle.
So why do I continue to follow such a hazardous route when I could avoid the outer access lane by driving straight down the main approach lane? Call it nostalgia for past city driving, or perhaps the need for an adrenaline rush in the midst of an otherwise mellow small-town existence.

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