If you’ve ever lived in a city while owning a car, you know the parking is a nightmare. A woman we’ll call Alice struggles to park her car in her apartment complex’s minuscule lot when a tricky situation makes her parking experience much more challenging. She posted on a popular advice forum, seeking others’ opinions about whether driving over a child’s garden was the right thing to do to access her parking spot.
New Car Troubles
After spending a few weeks away from her apartment, Alice purchased a new car larger than her first. After she parked her new car in her assigned spot at her apartment complex for the first time, she received a text from a neighbor claiming she ran over their children’s garden.
At first, Alice was confused until she realized the children’s makeshift garden was in a patch of dirt in the parking lot. Her neighbors politely asked that she avoid driving over that area while parking.
An Impossible Task
But Alice soon realized avoiding driving over the makeshift garden was a massive inconvenience. Not only was her parking spot initially tricky to access, but now, with the garden, parking has become a ten-minute exercise. After a couple of days of trying to avoid the plants, Alice accidentally crushed the plants while parking late at night.
Enraged Neighbors
The neighbors became angry with Alice and scolded her for her inability to park correctly, and she told them to move the kids’ plants out of the parking lot to avoid accidents. But the neighbor only got angrier and told her she was unfair to his kids. Alice took to the forum to ask if she was in the wrong for repeatedly crushing the kids’ garden. Commenters replied with their opinions on the matter.
The Parking Lot is No Place for a Garden
Most respondents agree that the neighbor’s choice of a parking lot for their kids’ garden was destined to be run over by a car. Alice even said the apartment complex has a designated gardening area. So why on earth would people think it’s a good idea to start a garden right next to a neighbor’s hard-to-access spot?
Parking is Already a Challenge
Other commenters sympathize with Alice because they believe parking at your home should be simple in an ideal world. The neighbors know how challenging it is to park in the wacky little lot and let their kids create a garden there. “Placing unnecessary obstacles around your spot just makes it even worse,” says one user.
Alice Just Sucks at Parking
However, some individuals encourage Alice to take a driving course to learn how to park correctly. “I’m pretty sure she is terrible at parking,” claims someone on the thread. “No one decent at parking writes something like this.”
The Audacity of the Neighbors
But more people side with Alice and believe the neighbors are acting entitled. “Parking lots are for cars. The neighbors easily could have used pots that they could move closer to their unit, along a sidewalk, anywhere but the parking lot,” writes one contributor.
Another believes the neighbors only chose that spot for the garden because Alice was away for a few weeks and started to feel like they were entitled to a space that is legally Alice’s.
Why The Need for a Massive Car?
Some respondents wonder why Alice invested in a larger vehicle when she knew how challenging it is to park at her apartment. “If you have a large car, you definitely should be able to navigate it without causing damage,” argues another user.
The Parking Lot Garden is Dangerous
Many forum members believe the neighbors put their kids in harm’s way by allowing them to create a garden in a parking lot. “What if the kids are out there tending to the garden and get hit?” writes one concerned commenter. Another points out that if the garden contains edible plants, they’re no longer safe to eat. “Runoff from the oil and cars will soak into the soil and can make people sick,” they claim.
It’s Time to Contact the Landlord
Someone urges Alice to contact her landlord or property manager about the garden conflict. “I doubt your landlord would be happy about the garden,” shares one respondent. “There’s no way they paid to use that spot for gardening, and now they’re causing issues with other tenants.”
Source: Reddit.
This article was published and syndicated by The Cents of Money.
