# Are you familiar with the term ‘granny parking’ and if so, how would you define it? (Upd name: Batman parking) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 4, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513 "2021-12-04T19:40:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/121 "2021-12-08T00:43:42Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Don’t get me started on people who get in their cars, turn the engine on, and then sit there for 5-10 minutes doing random stuff before actually proceeding to pull out. Why? Are you only talking about times when there are no other spots available? Does this apply to everyone, or just people you don’t think should be taking so long? Like, does a parent with kids get a break, but a single healthy-appearing person doesn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/122 "2021-12-08T00:54:03Z")
That’s why my last three cars have had all around view cameras (4 cameras), its so easy to perfectly and quickly back into any spot with them. Soon most new cars will have this feature, I haven’t scraped a curb in years either and I am always perfectly centered between cars. My next vehicle will most likely have a self parking feature, as I love getting the latest bells and whistles. I hope to see cars that drop me off at the door, go and park themselves and pick me up when I am ready. Doubt if I live long enough to get the feature of my dreams, the flying car. Even it only flew a foot off the ground I’d be happy, but that’s for another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/123 "2021-12-08T00:56:58Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Don’t get me started on people who get in their cars, turn the engine on, and then sit there for 5-10 minutes doing random stuff before actually proceeding to pull out. I’m checking my cell phone, something I shouldn’t do while driving. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/124 "2021-12-08T03:27:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’m really puzzled by the claim that it’s rude to back in. Is it puzzledgal or puzzlegal? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/125 "2021-12-08T04:44:10Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > > [@carrps](#): > > > > I’ve also never heard the term “granny parking.” But I’ve also not hear of “curb-scrapers.” When I was a little kid, they were called curb-feelers. > > I always knew them as “curb scrapers”. “Curb-feelers” sounds vaguely obscene. I have never heard of a curb scraper, or curb feeler, and I’m wondering what the hell they are. I suppose i could Google, but I’m having fun imagining a car with a lot of ice scrapers tucked under the door, business end out. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/126 "2021-12-08T04:49:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I have never heard of a curb scraper, or curb feeler, and I’m wondering what the hell they are. I suppose i could Google, but I’m having fun imagining a car with a lot of ice scrapers Okay, I googled it just so I could post here that I did so, not that I was about to give away the ancient secrets. Turns out, I got all kinds of hits that were totally unrelated. Apparently you need to google “curb feeler” to get the right pages. And yes, there’s a Wikipedia page. They used to be pretty much standard on cars back in the Before Times. I haven’t seen one in years. But it looks like you can still buy them on-line or in auto parts stores. I imagine there would be electronic sensor versions available by now. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/127 "2021-12-08T05:17:33Z")
Okay, not only have I never heard the word, I’ve also never seen anything like that. I wonder if it’s regional? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/128 "2021-12-08T05:44:50Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Okay, not only have I never heard the word, I’ve also never seen anything like that. I wonder if it’s regional?   You kids these days. Not regional that I’ve ever heard of. Hey, I’ll bet you’ve never seen cars with semaphore-style turn indicators either. Yeah, that used to be a thing too. [![](https://i1.wp.com/bestsellingcarsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Automotive-Turn-Signals.jpg) ](https://i1.wp.com/bestsellingcarsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Automotive-Turn-Signals.jpg) [https://www.carlightblog.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Anpassung\_Bild\_846x530-1.jpg](https://www.carlightblog.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Anpassung_Bild_846x530-1.jpg) > **[Media post: The History of Automotive Turn Signals](https://bestsellingcarsblog.com/2016/07/media-post-the-history-of-automotive-turn-signals/)** > > As you probably can imagine, early automobile drivers signaled to pedestrians and other drivers their intention to make a turn with their hands. They probably pointed to the direction that they wer… ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/129 "2021-12-08T08:38:36Z")
Not regional, just old. I don’t think I’ve seen them since the 80s, maybe, when my grandmother still had them. And, I suppose, you’d really only see them where parking on the street is common. They were very “old person” dorky for my whole life. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/130 "2021-12-08T09:01:31Z")
If you think curb feelers are “old school” you should look up traffic light viewers. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/131 "2021-12-08T13:08:26Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > Not regional, just old. I don’t think I’ve seen them since the 80s, maybe, when my grandmother still had them. And, I suppose, you’d really only see them where parking on the street is common. They were very “old person” dorky for my whole life. I owned a car in the 80s. I lived where on-street parking was common. I’ve never seen anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/132 "2021-12-08T14:53:41Z")
What the heck is that? I mean, I looked it up. Is it just like a magnifying orbish-thing? I mean is that its purpose? Was there an issue with people seeing traffic lights? I don’t get this thing, or am I misunderstanding its purpose. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/133 "2021-12-08T15:02:09Z")
Urban Dictionary says: Sorry, we couldn’t find: granny parking ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/134 "2021-12-08T15:05:55Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > Not regional, just old. I don’t think I’ve seen them since the 80s, maybe, when my grandmother still had them. I learned to drive in the 70’s, and my memory for what cars look like goes back to the 50’s, and I spent some of that time in cities where parallel parking was common, and I never heard of the things before. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Was there an issue with people seeing traffic lights? I don’t get this thing, or am I misunderstanding its purpose. When I pull up into the intersection while waiting to make a left turn, as you’re supposed to do in New York State, I can’t see the traffic light any longer because it’s overhead; so I can’t tell when it’s turned yellow and oncoming traffic is likely to be stopping. Maybe it’s for situations like that? However, the question then isn’t really whether oncoming traffic ought to be stopping, it’s whether they really are stopping. So I wouldn’t rely on the light in any case, as opposed to watching the cars. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/135 "2021-12-08T15:47:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Urban Dictionary says: > > Sorry, we couldn’t find: granny parking If Urban Dictionary has no definition, I guess that’s the final nail in the coffin for the term being relevant! ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/136 "2021-12-08T15:50:29Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I owned a car in the 80s. I lived where on-street parking was common. I’ve never seen anything like that. They were old and not very common in the 80s, and the only person I knew who had them was my grandma. They were relatively common in the 50s. In the 80s, I saw them on restored classic cars, which was a hobby of my stepfather’s, so I saw those regularly, and on things like contemporary Lincolns, Cadillacs, and Oldsmobiles. They were rare on those contemporary cars, but definitely there. I don’t believe it was a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/137 "2021-12-08T15:51:41Z")
I can see them being useful in the 1950s and 1960s. Those cars were massive. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/138 "2021-12-08T15:59:55Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > They were relatively common in the 50s. Odd. I wonder why I don’t remember them at all. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/139 "2021-12-08T16:06:44Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Odd. I wonder why I don’t remember them at all. I know you’re rural now, but did you do much parking with concrete curbs? That’s what they were useful for. And, yeah, we’ve been binging old Raymond Burr Perry Mason shows, and even in the 60s, cars were giNORmous. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513/140 "2021-12-08T16:14:20Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Was there an issue with people seeing traffic lights? Exactly that. In the early days of vehicles and traffic lights it wasn’t uncommon for the combination of vehicle design and light placement to result in not being able to see the light without leaning far forward. Thus the need for traffic light viewers attached to the windshield or dash. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-familiar-with-the-term-granny-parking-and-if-so-how-would-you-define-it-upd-name-batman-parking/955513.md?page=8)