In a post upvoted over 10,000 times, RealJimCaviezel shared what they say is a picture they took recently along a sidewalk in the “capital area” of New York state. The image shows a pickup truck with its rear end jutting out over most of the sidewalk behind it, leaving little room for pedestrians.
RealJimCaviezel told Newsweek he was walking to a nearby store when a couple with a stroller in front of him stopped abruptly. It quickly became apparent that their route was blocked by the parked pickup.
According to the Redditor, “the dad had to awkwardly try to kind of lift the stroller with his sleeping kid in it so as to not jam half of the stroller through wet mulch.”
They said that at one point the parents glanced over at them, giving them a look that essentially said “Are you seeing this?” The way in which the pickup truck was parked prompted the Reddit user to share the image to social media, where it drew a fiery response.
Pickup trucks dominate the automotive market in the U.S. In 2021, Ford Motor’s F-Series pickup was named America’s best selling vehicle for the 40th straight year.
But these vehicles are not without their problems. In this particular instance, the issue centered around the sheer size of these types of vehicles or, rather, the owner’s apparent lack of awareness about the size of his car.
Given the enduring popularity of pickups, it’s perhaps not surprising that the post proved divisive to say the least.
Some appeared to concur with the Redditor’s criticism of the driver’s actions. Sleepydorian said: “If your vehicle causes an obstruction when you park it, then you’ve parked it incorrectly. If it always causes an obstruction no matter what you do, then you shouldn’t be taking it to those locations.”
Throwaway7387272 agreed, writing: “While I understand as a truck driver that it’s a bit hard to guess how far your bed is, people with wheelchairs and mobility aids need space.”
Jcdoe disagreed though, responding: “Those extra inches have to go somewhere, and if they can’t go over the sidewalk, they’re going into the street.” D96flintd concurred: “Well if he didn’t [have the back of his truck hanging over the sidewalk] you’d take a picture of it sticking out into the parking lot.”
Direct_Stomach_6259, meanwhile, suggested an alternative solution to the issue. “They should make parking spots for trucks only similar to the way they make ones for compact vehicles,” they said. “Either way it’s facing, it’s too long for the space so the head or tail is going to be blocking the sidewalk or street.”
While the original poster, RealJimCaviezel, heard both sides of the argument, they felt it was simply the case that “people just need to learn how to park.”
“I don’t think it’s that black and white but in this instance the parking lines extended about 2 feet in front of the grill of the truck, so the argument ‘would you rather them be sticking out into traffic?’ is pointless,” they said.
“I understand that’s not always the case, but the sidewalk is an area designated for people walking or in wheelchairs. It’s not there to be used as an extra parking space so your car doesn’t get dinged.”
They said they found the dismissive attitudes of some commenting on the post “a little depressing” and acknowledged the topic certainly appeared to divide people.
“It’s not that I have disdain for trucks or truck owners,” they said. “What bothers me is the complete lack of awareness. It’s like people that put their bags on the seat next to them in a crowded subway.”
