The power of the pylon

By David Menzies for MSN Autos

They say you can’t take it with you, although portability is all the rage. People take their technology everywhere. Smart phones, laptops, tablets... these days, who needs landlines and bricks-and-mortar offices when one can transform the interior of a vehicle into an office-on-the-go if need be thanks to a preponderance of wireless devices?

That today’s technology is portable is one thing. But what if one could, in essence, “port” a parking space? Allow me to explain.

The other day, I’m getting ready to exit a multi-level underground parking lot in downtown Toronto. According to the digital read-out above-ground, only a paltry 11 spaces were remaining in the entire complex. Since I had originally parked much earlier, I was lucky enough to snag a primo parking spot on the first level.

So I hop into my Ford Adrenalin and prepare to vacate the subterranean depths when I notice a woman in a white Toyota Camry slowly approaching the laneway that runs parallel to my truck’s parking space. To prove that chivalry is not quite dead yet, I roll down a window and give her a wave. She rolls down her window as well.

“Say, if you need a parking space, I’m just on my way out. You can have this space.”

But no dice: “That’s OK,” she says. “I’ve already got a space.”

How odd. For on this particular level, I can’t see a single space available anywhere. I remain immobile to see if she plans on blocking the fire route. Instead, she drives another five metres, stops her car, gets out, and then scoops up an orange pylon that was occupying an otherwise vacant space. She tosses the pylon in the trunk, hops into her Camry, and backs into the new space she has instantly created for herself. Astonishing!