I park to optimize my exit from the parking lot. Pull-through spots to avoid reversing, avoiding needing to perform left turns, things like that. If I'm at the food store I'll also try to be near a cart return area, if possible.
Where to park your car, according to math
41–50 of 53 posts
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#42I go by hypermiler advice, optimize distance traveled by car.
Choose spot closest to entry-exit path of car park. Park closer to exit, and so that you don't need to reverse out, minimize inefficient slow/idle movement with cold engine.
And any additional walking is a bonus as mentioned by several people here.
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#43In multi-level car parks I believe people overestimate vertical distance and underestimate horizontal. In the carpark I park in, I often just speed down to the level where there first begins to be car spaces and I can often get much closer to the stairs which lead back up to the exit on the ground floor. Extra vertical distance is only 4-5m but saved horizontal distance can be 50m.
> Extra vertical distance is only 4-5m but saved horizontal distance can be 50m. Indeed, for the walking component. However having to drive up and then back down additional levels has time and hassle costs too.
This is true, the car park has a ramp system that is all in one corner of the car park but I guess most places make you drive to the other side to go up one
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#44Sounds like the Secretary Problem, which involves optimal stopping theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem The naive answer is 1/e (where e is the base of the natural logarithm). If you have N applications, reject ~N/e applications and choose the first applicant who is better than every previous applicant.
It’s similar but not quite the same. In the parking problem you don’t know how many free spaces there are to begin with, and the ‘quality’ metric of each space is just a linear function of its location. In the idealized problem presented, each space as you go along the line is strictly better than every previous space - you just don’t know whether it is the last one.
The analogous secretary problem would be to be presented with a sequence of increasingly suitable candidates, but never knowing whether each candidate is the last one.
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#45This is great. Fortunately, at my work, if I just drive past the main entrance, and enter the parking lot nearest our entry door, I can start my journey through the lot at the closest point. This obviously eliminates the need for guessing or betting or settling early. I admit that at certain times I do enter from the furthest entrance...and I always drive past the first spot, and bet on that second one. Quite often t…
This actually suggests that there are interesting psychological implications to parking lot circulation design. If you design a lot so that people can explore it in an order that matches a monotonous decrease in the ‘value function’ they place on each space location, you reduce driver stress because they can take the simple strategy of parking in the first available space and know they could not possibly have done better by following a different strategy (ah - except for waiting by the entrance and holding up traffic til someone leaves, of course).
This assumes you can identify a common value function everyone (or most people) places on each space of course.
Making people follow the value function in increasing order - as in the example, where each space you pass is closer to the entrance and so ‘better’ - seems to force this strategy choice.
This suggests all kinds of analogies in user experience and organizational and game design problems...
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#46Curve-ball: the mall I visit most often has separate entrance and exits. The best spot equidistant from both. I've spent way too much time on this problem in my head.
Isn't the best spot closer to the exit, considering you probably have to carry stuff/push a cart there?
That usually doesn't matter because—when I do grocery—the mall has the option to have an attendant carry it for you for free.
With that in mind, I usually opt to carry the grocery out myself because I prefer it. But rationally, the cost disappears because of the option.
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#47I'd like to see a version of this that optimises for this problem more globally. Other people exist!
e.g. Park further away if you can handle it (arrived on time, and are in good health, and have little luggage). Then people who are struggling (arrived late, with kids, in poor health, with lots of luggage) have a higher chance to find a space closer to the entrance. This might invisibly make someone have a less shitty day, and reduce my own risk of running into an angry person later. It's more impactful to optimise for that, rather than save seconds of walking.
Any ideas for how to math this?
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've noticed this as well. If I park in the middle of the parking lot with no cars anywhere near me, very often I come back to find another car parked right next to mine. My theory as to why this happens is that a parked car is a clearer indicator of how to park properly. If I try to park properly using the painted lines (which are often not very visible and go out of sight when you start entering your parking spot)…
One of the reasons I back into parking spots. Back in, watch your mirrors, line up the lines using your mirrors or backup camera and continue going back. You will park perfectly in the middle every time.
For safety you should always park so you drive out of your parking spot. If you back out you risk that you don't see some kid walking right behind your car. Particularly if when you live a couple trucks/vans have parked next to you so there is no way to see if there is anything else coming and you have to guess.
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
One of the reasons I back into parking spots. Back in, watch your mirrors, line up the lines using your mirrors or backup camera and continue going back. You will park perfectly in the middle every time.
For safety you should always park so you drive out of your parking spot. If you back out you risk that you don't see some kid walking right behind your car. Particularly if when you live a couple trucks/vans have parked next to you so there is no way to see if there is anything else coming and you have to guess.
Correct! And if we are listing reasons for backing up: Because you have to pass the parking spot before you back in, you can see if the spot is clear of debris, shopping carts and children.
Re: Where to park your car, according to math
#50Meanwhile in another study, "meek" parkers found to have lower blood pressure from all this "excessive" walking.