With many cities seeing a big increase in population, there’s less and less room for parking, whether you’re living in an apartment or a single-family home. These cities were already limited on space, yet still need to figure out how to build housing — and parking — in tight spots.
This is where tandem parking comes to the rescue. There are often long stretches of open space that are wide enough for a car to park in, but the entire stretch is only accessible from one point. Rather than waste the space on something else, you can still utilize these longer stretches of space to park — it just takes a little bit of coordination.
What is tandem parking?
Tandem parking is when two people share two parking spaces, only one space is in front of the other. This means that someone is parking behind you (or vice-versa) and one car needs to move into the spot first, then the second lines up behind it.
Where are tandem parking spaces typically found?
Tandem spaces are found in driveways, parking lots and parking garages — really, anywhere that you might find a normal parking space. They’re designed to save space or better utilize space in tight spots, so there are even some people that have a tandem spot in their private garages.
When there’s a location with lots of buildings, people and cars, but not a lot of room, it’s pretty common to find tandem parking. Think about big, crowded cities that are running low on space, such as New York and San Francisco. These cities often have lots of apartment buildings instead of single-family houses, and since there’s not a lot of room, you’ll find tandem parking spaces wherever there’s a thin stretch of concrete that’s long enough to accommodate two cars.
Pros and cons of a tandem parking space
Just as most other things have their pros and cons, tandem parking comes with both the good and the bad. It’s a smart setup for creating two parking spots, but it can create some challenges for those using them.
Pros
Tandem parking allows for two cars to park in an area that normally only one would be able to. This means that twice as many cars can park and more residents can keep their cars close by, rather than having to park further away from where they live or getting rid of their vehicles altogether.
You may also save money if you’re paying for a tandem parking spot rather than a normal one. Landlords know it’s a little bit of a hassle to use tandem parking and they may offer a parking discount on your spot if you opt to share with someone else.
Cons
Tandem parking may cause issues for one or both parties because, in order for one person to pull out of the space, the other needs to move out of the spot first. In some cases, you might knock on your neighbor’s door to ask them to move their car when you need to leave or they might knock on yours.
In the worst cases, you may have someone parked behind you and you can’t get a hold of them to move their car, leaving you blocked in. You can certainly avoid this with good communication, but it can still happen and cause you to lose access to your vehicle until the car parked behind you has moved.
How to manage tandem parking
Having two vehicles use the same spot may mean you need to maneuver spots and change frequently between the first car and the second. But, sharing a tandem space with someone is completely doable, it just means you’ll need to plan well with the person you’re sharing with.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Communication is the most important part of sharing a tandem parking spot with anyone, whether it’s a neighbor or a loved one that you live with. You can make tandem parking work with anyone as long as you’re telling each other about work schedules, events you’re planning on attending and vacations you’re taking.
To make things easy, you may want to consider having a shared calendar where you can view each other’s schedules, standing appointments and planned vacation days.
Coordinate work schedules
If you have similar working hours to the person you share a tandem parking space with, then it’s usually pretty easy to manage, since you’ll both leave and arrive at about the same time. However, if you’ve got different schedules, you’ll want to coordinate times to make sure each of you can get in and out when needed.
If you leave earlier for work than your parking spot buddy, then you’ll want to make sure that you park behind them in the evening so you can leave in the morning without problems. Or, the opposite scenario could happen and they leave earlier than you, so you’ll want to park first and have them come in behind you at night so they don’t wake you up in the morning to have you move your car out of the way.
Plan around vacations
If you or your neighbor are planning on taking a vacation at some point, make sure you have the person vacationing park their vehicle in the spot first, so the non-vacationer can park behind them and move in and out of the spot as needed. There’s nothing worse than getting blocked in your parking space while someone is on vacation and can’t move their car for you.
Share a key
Tandem parking works best with someone you know and trust sharing your keys with. This way, if someone needs to leave but you’re blocking them in, they can move your car out from the front space, then pull their car out and move yours into the backspace. It’s still a bit of a hassle, but it means your roommate doesn’t need to bother you early in the morning or late at night and you can move your roommate’s car when you need to leave.
You can either give each other spare keys or just leave your keys in an accessible place, like on the kitchen counter or a small table by the front door.
Have a backup plan
Even the best coordination and communication can fail you when renting a unit with tandem parking. If you find yourself in a bind and can’t get your car out of the driveway or parking garage because someone is parking behind you, you’ll want to have a backup plan in place. This may mean you pay for a ride share, share cars with a friend, ride a bike, take the bus or even rent a car for the day if you need to travel far.
If you reach a point where it becomes too big of an issue and you find your vehicle is frequently blocked in by the other car, you may want to speak with your landlord, consider paying for your own space or use street parking. Since the streets are technically city-owned, make sure local ordinances allow for overnight street parking so you don’t get ticketed.
Tandem parking means sharing
No matter who you’re sharing with, tandem parking can work! It’s a hassle sometimes, but depending on where you live, it’s a better option than street parking or selling your car and relying on public transportation. If you don’t want to deal with tandem parking, that’s OK — you can usually find a place with regular parking, it just might cost you more or more difficult to come across if you’re living in a large, crowded city.
In any case, don’t be afraid of tandem parking, especially if you’re sharing one spot with someone you already know. Having access to a parking space in many areas is still a huge convenience. You’ll just need to decide if it’s worth sharing a spot and coordinating with someone else.
Source: apartmentguide.com