In this street you are only allowed to park backwards (and that causes a lot of problems)

Retailers even think they will lose customers as a result

There is clearly a right and a wrong way to park in a space. We won't say which one is right, but let's say you only do it the wrong way if you have a lot of groceries to load. In Los Angeles, America, you are now only allowed to park backwards on one street. There is even a sign saying 'back-in parking only'. And apparently that's a big problem for a lot of drivers in the city.

There used to be 97 normal parking spaces on Ventura Boulevard that you could enter from the front or the back. To make room for more cars, they have now placed the lines in a corner. So no more '| |' but '/ /'. These changes suddenly mean there is room for no fewer than 121 cars. But because the parking spaces are now sloping, you can no longer turn forward: parking at the back is mandatory. You would say that the slanted compartments make it simple, but that is disappointing.

On this street it's exactly the other way around, but you get the idea | Photo: © Miltiadis Fragkidis

According to the Los Angeles Times, a lot of people have problems with moving backwards in the box. Some drivers try a few times, but soon give up and continue driving. Some store owners feel they are getting fewer customers because people with cars are staying away. Other entrepreneurs report the same number of customers, but they look a little more confused by the parking situation.

'If you can't park in reverse, then you shouldn't drive'

The plan for the sloping parking spaces was already devised in 2015 by a man named Silverstein. He told the LA Times that he was disappointed by the parking problems: 'If you try it a few times, it becomes normal. Not to be mean, but if you can't back your car between a few lines, then maybe you shouldn't be driving.'

The neighborhood council is still looking at it. The diagonal lines are painted on the asphalt, so they can always turn things back.

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