Echelon Bay Parking
Echelon Bay Parking
However, as much as it is probably the easiest way to park into one, it does make it slightly more difficult to revers out of one.
This is because your line of sight along the road in either direction may be limited due to other parked vehicles to the sides of you.
To help assist you, it would be very beneficial to use the shops windows to the left and right of your car to see any reflections that may appear in the glass.
You may also have houses or possibly parking areas on the opposite side of the road where windows of those houses or the body work of the cars may create enough of a reflection that you may also be able to spot things moving up and down the road.
When reversing out, ensure it is carried out very slowly as a lot of modern vehicles now only come as standard with one reversing light which means you may not be seen as easily by vehicles travelling along the road. Also because of your possible restricted view, by coming out slowly it will give oncoming vehicles time to react, should they be coming past as you are reversing out.
Never fully commit to increasing any speed until your line of sight is at a stage that you can clearly see up and down the road.
If you are reversing out to drive on in the same direction as you arrived then the manoeuvre out carries danger, but not as much as if you were to reverse out to go in the opposite direction as you will have to reverse out covering both lanes, so ensure you are fully aware of traffic movement in both directions fully. On occasion you may need to pull back in to the bay to avoid holding up traffic and then re-emerge when it is safer to do so.
Whenever you pass shops, especially where the are echelon bays be very aware of any vehicles that may pull out in front of you. So driver's just do not look before driving out whether that be in reverse or driving forward out of the bay.
If you find that your line of sight is so bad that you cannot see, then get someone to guide you out.
Use MSPSGL routine as you would on any occasion where you may need to slow down or change direction. Make your intentions clear to other road users in good time by placing on a signal indicator. Ensure you use all the available space of the road so that you can maximise your turning circle. If you get your turning point wrong, you will definitely end up needing to reverse back into the road to get a better line into the bay.
As with any manoeuvre SLOW SPEED IS PARAMOUNT. By going slow it will give you more time to get steering placed on or taken off again if you have oversteered.
As with the forward with flow method, when you reverse out of the bay, use all the same methods as previously mentioned.
If you find that your line of sight is so bad that you cannot see, then get someone to guide you out.
It is always easier to park in reverse once you have good car control, as you will always have the option to move the front section of the car right up to the last second of the manoeuvre. If you drive into a bay, you can't move the rear end of the car once you are in, without reversing out of the bay partly or fully first.
So throughout the manoeuvre you have wiggle time to adjust the car to get it neatly into the bay.
When you come to leave, you can still use the reflections of the shops windows and possibly houses or cars parked opposite, but you do no have so far to have to pull the car forward until your line of sight up and down the road has been achieved. This is why the reverse method is considered safer.
That being said, there is a bigger element of danger on the way in to the bay, because you have to pull over on the wrong side of the road first, facing the wrong direction to the flow of traffic.
However, you will have been used to doing this as one of your driving test manoeuvres is pulling up on the right and reversing two car lengths. This really has all the same tools required of that manoeuvre other than during the reverse section you will be steering the car into a bay rather than keeping the car in a straight line.
As a side note and something to be aware of in certain situations, and especially outside of shopping parades. The echelon bay area can have quite high kerbs due to the construction of the area to ensure puddles do not occur when it rains. This is to stop drivers or their passengers having to step out of their can into a deep puddle. The higher kerb is also constructed so that it gives a bit more protection to pedestrians that may be walking along the parade of shops. A car would struggle more than on a standard road to mount the pavement outside shops. This is great for the more vulnerable but not kind to your front valance or front bumper should you hit the kerb when driving into the bay. This is why slow speed is highly recommended.
