Can You Steal A Parking Lot?

When resource becomes scarce is when our true color reveals, true or false?  One can talk about the beauty of humanity when people are getting what the majority are having.  But strange behaviors emerge when we have to compete, especially when the rules are not well established.  What am I talking about?  The stealing of parking lots.

Stealing?!

I first read that phrase on the front page of our national newspaper.  Someone was stomped, accused of parking lot stealing, and has his or her face / car photographed and published on the Internet.  What is Stomp?  Quote unquote: Asia’s leading citizen-journalism website with user-generated material.  The website can be found in here.  Personally, I am not that into Stomp, as I have yet to be convinced that citizen-journalism has a consistent high quality that I can value when it comes to news reading.  And if bloggers can be sued in Singapore for defamation, would stompers face the same risk?  Or they have gained immunity because the pictures are hosted with our national newspaper in the Internet space?  Whichever, I would rather not see my face featured in Stomp.  That brings forth the second part of this entry.

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Over the years, the shopping mall Thompson Plaza has retained its popularity, amongst the dwellers of the neighborhood, including my family.  Over the years, car ownership in Singapore has increased.  How I wish we could be like our neighboring country Malaysia that when the demand is up, a new mall can be built right next to the old one.  Double the capacity, double the parking lots.

Parking in Thompson Plaza has become increasingly time consuming, especially during peak hours.  Rather than going round and round inside the car park basement hoping to find an empty slot, I often wait patiently in one area for one.  At times, there could be two or even three cars waiting in the same area.  There is no first-come-first-serve when it comes to which of the cars in waiting get the first available lot.  There is no clear demarcation of which are the lots belongs to which ‘waiting bay’.  For me, I often give way to those who have come first, or those who are closer to the empty lot.  Seldom do I confront other drivers unless it is an act of bully, which I have encountered several times in the past.  I do not get out of the car and scream at other drivers like some do.  I make sure that I drive into the lot before it is taken, if I feel that I have waited for my turn.

One fine day, as I was heading to my usual waiting area, inside the Thompson Plaza car park, I was stuck in a peculiar situation.  Behind my car, one car was leaving the lot.  In front of me, there was a car in waiting blocking my way.  All that car needed to do was to move forward a little bit, let me pass, and take up the parking lot.  My intend was to wait for another lot since someone was here before me.

All of a sudden, the car in front sped away, disappeared.  And I was presented with an empty parking lot.  I looked in front and there was no car waiting.  I looked at the back and there was no car behind.  I waited a bit, nothing happened.  Naturally, I drove into the lot, and parked.

Out of nowhere, someone was honking furiously.  I looked through the windscreen and saw a lady driver furiously screaming at me, rudely gesturing at me.  Wow, what’s going on?  It turns out that she was the driver in front of me and had – I suppose – decided to drive one big round through the car park in order to let me pass.  I was not pleased with her attitude but surrendering the lot to her seemed like the right thing to do.  And so I drove out of the parking lot and waited for another one.

Looking at the rear mirror, I could tell that she was still angry at me.  A few days later, when I read the headline on the newspapers, I secretly hoped that it was not I who was stomped.  If so, I may consider suing someone for defamation – for the fun of it since it seems like the in-thing to do in Singapore these days.

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Near my home, there is a food center.  At times, the parking lots can be fully occupied.  One time, a small lorry drove past me who was in the waiting, did a U-turn, and there we were, facing each other, eying on the same set of lots.  And I wondered: How is it going to be?  Me or him?

As the story turned out, a lot became available near to the lorry.  And I was expecting it to be taken, even though I had been waiting for quite a while.  Just my luck.  Some days you have it, some days don’t.  Contrary to my expectation, the lorry driver hand-signalled me to take the lot instead.  I was in gratitude, surprised – or rather grateful – that there is still beauty in humanity when resource seems scarce.