Nanjing’s parking spaces, or lack thereof, are back in the headlines, after two women guarding an empty space were forcibly pushed out thereof by another vehicle, igniting a storm of debate on the local internet over the rights and wrongs of both parties involved.
The incident took place at around midday on Sunday, 16 January, in a shopping mall’s underground car park in Tangshan Sub District of Nanjing’s Jiangning District.
That’s when a 38-year-old Nanjing man driving a Nio electric car finally found an empty parking place. Problem was there was a 41-year-old Nanjing woman standing in it, with her friend, reports The Paper.
Not impressed with their deterrent, the man proceeded to back his car into the space, albeit very slowly, physically pushing the two women out of the way.
There had been no verbal communication between the two parties prior to the man committing the potentially dangerous actions.
Video of the car reversing into the space that was captured by a bystander and subsequently posted on the internet can be seen via this link.
After the altercation, the parties entered into an argument, whereupon the police were called to the scene. Officers then took the two parties back to the Tangshan Police Station to get to the bottom of the matter.
In China, the occupying of parking spaces in order to leave them free for vehicles which have yet to arrive is generally frowned upon. As is the use of objects to achieve the same effect, especially in residential communities.
There, it is relatively common to see all manner of things utilised for the purpose. One of the most favoured is an electric bike, also that of the car owner who wishes to keep the space for their return home from work.
A police notice issued after the altercation states that while neither party did anything that is technically illegal, there were errors of judgement on both sides.
