There is a little space out the the front of my little house where two cars can park, provided the drivers think that two cars are meant to fit in this little spot.
For nearly twenty years I have observed all types of parking efforts out the front of my little house. There are the courtesy cars who pull to the very front of the park so that another car can fit behind, the slightly irritating cars who always park at the back so that other cars have to reverse park into this spot, then there are the very selfish cars that park right in the middle so that only one car can fit.
For nearly twenty years I have lamented the bad cars that park in the middle, “don’t they know that two cars could fit in this spot in only they were considerate enough to park properly?”
Well apparently not.
Recently my local council painted a little line down the centre of the park and now not once have I seen someone park in the middle of the park.
Sometimes we just have to draw the line, because what seems obvious and sensible to you may not even occur to other people.
Janice O'Neill
So true. If only everyone was thoughtful, considerate of others, not distracted, and have good spacial judgement, we wouldn’t need lines.
It’s a paradox in a world increasingly wanting flexibility when so many want certainty!
Charlie Wilkins
I was told of a similar example while working at London Underground. People were crowding perilously close to the platform edge. They painted a yellow line, and most people’s behaviour changed. I suspect we unconsciously or semi-consciously explain the phenomena we see, and then behave in accordance with the explanation, regardless of whether it is true or not. Could be a powerful and cheap way of changing behaviour.
Tess
The behaviour we walk past is the behaviour we are prepared to accept.