By way of background: The parking lot at my apartment consists of a single long east-west aisle, connected to the street at the east end. There are perpendicular parking spots along the north and south sides of this aisle.
I have noticed that some people in the lot typically back in to parking spots (and hence pull out of them forward), and some people pull forward into them (and hence back out of them). What’s odd, though, is that this varies by side of the lot: Most people who park on the north side of the lot back in, while most of the people who park on the south side park forward. In other words, most of the cars in the lot are facing south, regardless of which side they’re on.
And this is not a small effect: Last night when I parked, I counted. On the north side of the lot, there were 17 cars backed in, and two forward. On the south side of the lot, there were 17 cars forward, and three backed in.
Nor is my own behavior a useful guide, here: I usually back in because backing in to a spot is easier than backing out of a spot, and because when I’m leaving the lot, I’m usually under some sort of time pressure such as getting to work on time. And I usually park on the north side because, at the times I get home, there are usually more spots available on the north side (especially multiple adjacent empty spots, which I prefer because I’m not great at parking). But it’s hard to see how any of those would lead to a correlation.
Possibly relevant (though I’m not sure how) additional pieces of information:
This is in temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere (Cleveland area, to be precise).
The north side of the lot is on the edge of the property, with a train track running along it, several trees, and those concrete berms that stop you from pulling in too far.
The south side of the lot has a sidewalk alongside it, and then the buildings of the apartment complex. There are no trees on this side.
I personally find it harder to back into a parking spot and get between the lines. Our current car does not have a backup camera (it’s a 2016). My husband favors backing in, although I’m not sure why.
Totally out of left field: some states have laws against backing in to spaces because then cops can’t read license plates on cars that don’t require front plates. Maybe your apartment complex is home to an inordinate number of law breakers?
Does it have to do with being on the right vs left side? I imagine some people have an easier time with one side vs the other. Much like asking someone that’s already shaky at parallel parking to do it on the left side of the road on a one way street.
If it were the other way around or if it was winter, I would think that it would have to do with where the sun is.
I back into my driveway in the winter, as that way, when the sun comes up shortly before I leave (until the dead of winter when I am leaving before the sun comes up), it shines in my front window, giving a bit more warmth than it would in the back.
When I park somewhere in the summer, I try to park so my front windshield is facing away from the sun, in order to keep it a bit cooler.
There’s also the fact that, at least in my experience, it’s easier to back into a spot on the right than to the left, so those who want to back in may choose that side to make backing in easier.
Ya know…it’s funny you say that because the OP mentioned it being an apartment complex. Does it require a parking permit in your window? When I was in college, if you didn’t have a parking permit, it was common to back into the spots way on the edge of the lot since the cop would have to get out of his car and walk in the ditch behind that last row of cars (or go between each one) to see if there was a permit in the rear window. It was hit or miss if they’d actually do it, except in winter, it was almost a given they wouldn’t check those cars after a big snow storm.
IANACop, but here in Florida, you’re not supposed to back into spaces in parking lot lanes or pull forward into an empty slot for that reason. With angled parking lanes, it’s even tougher to pull out and turn in the proper direction.
Ohio used to require front plates, but doesn’t any more, and in fact unless you specifically ask (and probably pay a larger fee), you’ll only get one plate from the DMV. I don’t think there’s any requirement to park such that your plate is visible, either in law or in apartment policy, and there are no assigned spots nor displayed parking permits. Theoretically the lot is for use by residents, but I don’t know how, if at all, that is enforced: When I got my car, I called the leasing office to ask about such things, and they didn’t even ask me for my license plate number.
I did consider that possibility, which is why I included the information about which end connects to the road. But on the occasions when I’ve parked on the south (left) side, I haven’t found it to be particularly more difficult than parking on the north (right) side.
When you’re driving down between the spaces, you’re generally toward the right side. Thus, if there is a space open on the left, you can easily pull in without any broad sweeping motion. If you want to pull into a space on the right, you’d have to veer to the left and maneuver in. But backing in from the right side is much smoother.
My guess is that 1. People are very sheep-like and tend to do what the rest of the herd are doing, and 2. Many people are very resistant to learning how to back-in park. So the people who prefer to pull in forward stick to the same lot.
I’d start parking in the south lot (backing in) and see if others start backing in, too.
So, do most people enter and exit the lot from the east, then? I’m just wondering if it has something to do with the relative ease of backing out to the left versus backing out to the right. To back out to the left feels… unnatural (or at least slightly less safe) than to the right when I have cars on either side because the view is more obstructed backing out to the left.
-----N-----
W--------E --| north/south street (traffic enters here going <----- and exits here going ----->)
-----S-----
With that arrangement, if I had a parking spot on the North side, while I can’t say if I’d back in or not the first time, I think after repeated in/outs I might just back in to the North side (though I’d much rather just put in head first to the south side and back out).
Anyway, that’s my theory: it’s riskier backing out the the left (while facing initially north) so as to point east and exit than it is to back out to the right (while facing initially south) to point east and exit, assuming there are (or at least could be) cars on either side just because of where the driver’s side is situated: you’re basically backing out blind to the left if you back out on the north side to face east, whereas if you are on the south side you have a wider field of view to the right, so not so blind when backing out to face east.
But that’s only you. Just because you don’t find it difficult doesn’t mean other people feel the same way.
I’ve always been very good at parallel parking, but I don’t question other people choosing to park a block away instead of making three attempts in front of the restaurant they’re about to walk into.
People tend to group together, or “platoon”. We are social creatures and we tend to collect with others who think alike.
OTOH, one observation is that when backing in, I find it easier to back in to a spot on my right than on my left. Like @Joey_P and @Procrustus described.