The Empty Car Park Syndrome

The problem with too much choice...

The Guardian recently posed the following question in its “Notes & Queries” section: Does anybody else suffer from ‘Empty Car Park Syndrome’, whereby the time taken to park the car increases in relation to the number of spaces available?

Apparently, opined Anthony Peacock of Liverpool, this is an affliction caused by being spoilt for choice. “Obviously the more spaces available, the more time you need to consider each one on its individual merits,” he wrote. Drivers need to decide whether a space is shaded, near the exit, whether or not the surface is clear, smooth and even, if there are puddles to step into. “So many considerations and, unfortunately, choice is the mother of procrastinaton,” he pointed out, “which incidentally is an anagram of ‘In car or P station’.”

Mark Williams of Skipton owned up to being an Empty Car Park Syndrome (ECPS) sufferer for most of his driving career. “The surfeit of choice simply makes it impossible to choose the first available space – there is always another (and another) that looks more alluring,” he pleaded. “The optimum car park occupancy rate is somewhere around 75-80%, which allows just enough choice in my experience.”

He also revealed that he found it difficult to park between the lines in an empty car park. “I feel I need some parked cars to guide me into a space,” he wrote.

Graham Dodd of Cradley Heath said his father was a severe sufferer, aggravated by Sociable Car Syndrome (sometimes known as the Lonely Car Syndrome), whereby he would park beside the only other vehicle in the car park. “At least, for me, the condition doesn’t seem to be hereditary,” he admitted.

Have any Parking Review readers noticed these syndromes at play in their facilities? Please let us know and maybe we help cure the afflicted together.