There is a road on my way to work (Toronto road).
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=359780&y=177750&z=1
which is normally blocked by parked cars on both sides, with gaps
between them for passing places. At the top, near Filton Road, there is
not enough room for cars and cycles to pass each other, let alone two
cars going each way.
Any way got the Toronto road this morning to see a queue of traffic
blocking the cross road on the entry. I slowly cycled into the road to
find four parked (p) cars blocking in for manned cars (m) i.e.
p p
mm
mm
p p
with all four manned cars at angles to the road. How they got like that
without one of the parked cars being parked after the other four had got
there I have not a clue [1].
WVM was also stopped nearby trying to direct the manned cars, however
the driver of one was moving exactly the opposite way to that the way
WVM was directing it, and trying to get through a gap to narrow.
Anyway I calmly got off my bike, walked it along the footpath, got back
onto the road and cycled away. When I got to the traffic lits at the
other end of the road, I looked back, and as far as I could see, none of
the cars had moved.
I often wonder in situations like this, how often impatient car drivers
slow themselves and others down by trying to save that extra 0.3s.
[1] I could not help thinking of the sofa paradox in Dirk Gently's
Holistic Detective Agency.
Martin.