Britain’s top 10 worst car parking spaces
The worst parking spaces across the UK have been revealed, including ones too small for most cars, and others with pillars in the way.A survey of drivers, conducted by insurance firm Aviva, asked them each to nominate the worst parking space they had experienced.
The dubious top honour went to a space on the car-park at Alton Business Centre, Hampshire which is blocked in by walls on two sides… and cars on the other two.
A spokesperson for Aviva, said: "Sometimes the spaces we try and shoe-horn our cars into are so awkward that even the most experienced driver in the world would struggle."
While that is true, my girlfriend struggles to park in huge parking spaces… in a Smart car.
Top 10 worst parking spaces in Britain
Alton, Hampshire
Dying to get out of work? You might struggle at Alton Business Park. If you’re first in in the morning, you’ll definitely be the last out, with the UK’s number one worst car parking space having two sides surrounded by walls and the front and passenger sides blocked by fellow worker’s cars.
Soho, London
Parking is scarce in the Capital and you pay through the tooth for it, so you can imagine how happy one entrant was to find out that the only space left in Soho, Brewer Street was occupied by a concrete pillar and two pipes.
Brighton
A far cry from the sun, sea and sand of Brighton, Churchill car park is enough to rain on anyone’s parade. Nominated for its narrow bays, this car park is riddled with posts and barriers which prevent car doors from being opened. With three nominations Brighton was the UK’s most unpopular place to park.
Nottingham
Nicknamed by the locals as the ‘modern dungeon’ of Nottingham, Upper Parliament Street car park is known for being dark and dinghy. Huge concrete pillar after huge concrete pillar are used to mark out the spaces, where all they really do is scrape your car.
Blackpool
People come far and wide to see Blackpool’s illuminations but they are kept in the dark about the poor parking in some quarters. Drivers have to snake their way around West Street’s car park only to find spaces at confusing angles to each other and a low ceiling preventing your boot from opening.
Chesterfield
There’s nothing saintly about Vicar Lane car park in Chesterfield’s town centre. Many a
car has left their mark on this treacherously tight car park with paintwork covering the
walls and ramps.
Hertford
Shopping with your kids is a struggle at the best of times – maybe this space was designed with that in mind. Bircherley Green Shopping Centre’s mother & baby space is boxed in by barriers and a pillar to the extent that the doors can’t even open. Looks like no one is going shopping!
Hendon
On a busy road in the north of London, and directly opposite a bus stop is not the safest of places to park. You’ll be stopping traffic for all the wrong reasons when you try and parallel park into this roadside space.
Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
You’ll need some pretty adept parking skills and a fairly small car to negotiate around the ground floor of the Horsefair car park and its hefty wing-mirror threatening concrete posts. The space, just to the left of the entrance, is particularly bad - you'll be in there forever, if you manage to get in it in the first place - which is probably why it is often left empty!
Harrogate
Imagine having to climb out the boot to exit the car, well this is exactly what one entrant has to do in the Waitrose car park in Harrogate. The space is nestled so tightly between two other spaces that when the spaces are occupied, passengers can’t open the car doors.
LINKS
Aviva
Alton, HampshireDying to get out of work? You might struggle at Alton Business Park. If you’re first in in the morning, you’ll definitely be the last out, with the UK’s number one worst car parking space having two sides surrounded by walls and the front and passenger sides blocked by fellow worker’s cars.
Soho, LondonParking is scarce in the Capital and you pay through the tooth for it, so you can imagine how happy one entrant was to find out that the only space left in Soho, Brewer Street was occupied by a concrete pillar and two pipes.
BrightonA far cry from the sun, sea and sand of Brighton, Churchill car park is enough to rain on anyone’s parade. Nominated for its narrow bays, this car park is riddled with posts and barriers which prevent car doors from being opened. With three nominations Brighton was the UK’s most unpopular place to park.
NottinghamNicknamed by the locals as the ‘modern dungeon’ of Nottingham, Upper Parliament Street car park is known for being dark and dinghy. Huge concrete pillar after huge concrete pillar are used to mark out the spaces, where all they really do is scrape your car.
BlackpoolPeople come far and wide to see Blackpool’s illuminations but they are kept in the dark about the poor parking in some quarters. Drivers have to snake their way around West Street’s car park only to find spaces at confusing angles to each other and a low ceiling preventing your boot from opening.
ChesterfieldThere’s nothing saintly about Vicar Lane car park in Chesterfield’s town centre. Many a
car has left their mark on this treacherously tight car park with paintwork covering the
walls and ramps.
HertfordShopping with your kids is a struggle at the best of times – maybe this space was designed with that in mind. Bircherley Green Shopping Centre’s mother & baby space is boxed in by barriers and a pillar to the extent that the doors can’t even open. Looks like no one is going shopping!
HendonOn a busy road in the north of London, and directly opposite a bus stop is not the safest of places to park. You’ll be stopping traffic for all the wrong reasons when you try and parallel park into this roadside space.
Wisbech, CambridgeshireYou’ll need some pretty adept parking skills and a fairly small car to negotiate around the ground floor of the Horsefair car park and its hefty wing-mirror threatening concrete posts. The space, just to the left of the entrance, is particularly bad - you'll be in there forever, if you manage to get in it in the first place - which is probably why it is often left empty!
HarrogateImagine having to climb out the boot to exit the car, well this is exactly what one entrant has to do in the Waitrose car park in Harrogate. The space is nestled so tightly between two other spaces that when the spaces are occupied, passengers can’t open the car doors.
LINKS
Aviva
