Multistorey Car Parks - what do you do?

I take the first space I see and will wait patiently for others to park, which is only a couple of minutes.

I would find it a bit odd if people went passed an empty space.

A multi-storey where my son lives (abroad) has all the walls and floor painted bright yellow, it’s well lit too makes the whole thing so much easier for everybody instead of grey concrete everywhere like here.

I never use a multi story they make me feel claustrophobic. Our local supermarket car park is all outside thankfully

Some multi-stories have lifts that only open into every other floor - a bit of a problem if you cannot manage the stairs to the relevant floors and were not aware of this before you parked.

Ours has lifts servicing the odd floors and even floors, Lucky, you do have to pick the right one!

We have the same problem. Personally leave going into town until after nine thirty, the drive straight up to 6th floor. Super, because no one likes to go up there, well very few.

I dislike multi-storey car parks, and if possible will park in a side street and walk, so avoiding having to pay! However, on the occasions it is unavoidable, I’d opt to go higher, where fewer cars are parked.

After struggling on a work trip to find my way out of a new to me, huge multi storey car park I try to avoid them. Might sound daft but I was scared for a while. If I must venture into one the Blue Badge spaces are often on the lowest level and yes, if one’s empty it’s mine! If not and there’s a lift I go up until there’s more space. If no lift I have to leave and look elsewhere. I’m often heard to mutter that folk leave their patience at a car park entrance.

We don't have a multistorey car park near here, but when I lived near Carlisle I used the one there all the time as it was central. I always went to the top, even with toddlers and buggies. There were always plenty of spaces and room to manoeuvre the buggy.

Luckily I rarely park in multi storey car parks, only if I go to Exeter/Torquay etc, as I find them creepy and unpleasant. I think I've watched too many thriller films where people often get attacked/shot/whatever in those car parks. When I do however I try to park near the lift or walkway.

I think car parks used as a location in films always make us feel tense. Like someone said, it's the dingy lighting, the confined space, feeling trapped etc. Let alone the high octane

... chases and the screeching round the bends.

That right,Joseanne. There was a circular one in Plymouth and it was good fun driving down it quite fast. Not sure if it's still there though.

I’ve never really thought about this. I just park in a space that looks suitable for my car. Or rather, my car parks itself in a space when I tell it to.

Reversing in is safer and it’s also more manoeuvrable. Though if you then want to load bags of shopping in, that’s not so useful.

I avoid multi-stories as much as I possibly can. The whole experience is a worry right from finding a space through looking after the ticket/chip coin to the 'will the barrier work' exit.
Like most here I go to where there are fewer cars and reverse in.
Once I got back to my car to see a traffic warden writing out a ticket (council-owned car park). I had overstayed by 6 minutes, The car was parked on the top floor - and was the only one there! I did feel rather hard done by - there was hardly a queue for the space and I wasn't causing an obstruction. No point arguing though!

I still remember the time I was at an exam board meeting in the middle of Nottingham and parked in the NCP beside the hotel where we were meeting.
Came out at the end of the day, trotted up to the right level etc etc -and NO CAR. Looked everywhere, panicked a bit, on the point of ringing the police when I went back downstairs to the hotel desk for sympathy and support.
That was when I spotted that there were 2 identical NCPs either side of the building , effectively a mirror image of each other -and yes, I had gone up the wrong one!

I drove with a friend and the two children to Paris from Holland as my friend's company had a flat there. It was just near the Eiffel Tower and we drove underground to the garage and I parked in our designated spot. All the bays had three walls around! We went upstairs to the flat then my DS and I went down to get the bags and the car had gone. There was just an empty bay. We went back upstairs and rang friend's DH who asked if we were on the wrong floor. Of course we were. We then found the car and rang friend's DH back to say we had found it. He then asked if we had reversed into the space as if not it would be impossible to get out. Of course I hadn't so spent all the time in Paris worrying about whether I would get out again.

Top floor for me every time, no pillars and lots of space !

Avoid at all costs!!!!

Some UK multistorey (and the spiral underground) car parks are a bit tight but I find them generally OK. The ones in France are far tighter and the car spaces are much narrower.

If you know how to navigate the multi-story parking structure you can zoom to the upper floors for immediate parking, also gives you room where other cars can’t “ding” your car so easily.

Nothing like waiting for a parker trying to squeeze into first available space holding up the trail behind them - they obviously don’t know about the “secrets” of where to park.

Now I wonder about the multi-level structures and how safe are they? In our city a structure recently collapsed “pancake style” down onto lower levels, destroying cars, compromising the entire structure. Thankfully no one was injured! A miracle in its self! Bad inspections / faulty construction? Beware.

Went to one in Germany and was thrilled to see ladies parking areas, close to entry and exit for safety reasons, apparently muggers and such like are less likely to attack there.

I always drive straight up to the sixth floor and take the lift. It’s half empty, out in the open and very easy.

Drive to the high floor just above the pedestrian access to the shopping mall. It's never busy. The spaces are small but I feel OK if I I'm right on the line up here as nobody is likely to park next to me. The cost is ridiculously dear but I only go in once every 5 weeks when I get my hair cut.

I’m another that would go higher rather than hold drivers up if I had to manoeuvre into a tight space. Having said that, in one local city centre car park, the inclines are so steep, that, being small, I’m tipped backwards and can’t see ahead very easily. It’s quite scary.